Trading The Better Than Expected Retail Sales (XRT, TGT, ANF)

Retail sales came in better than expected, and futures are adding to gains after the release of the numbers. The headline number came in a little light, rising 0.4% in March. This was down from a revised 1.1% in February. If you exclude autos, retail sales for March came in at 0.8%, versus 0.7% estimates. February's ex-autos was also revised up to 1.1%. If you decide to trade off retail sales today, consider looking at a few beaten down names, like Target TGT. Abercrombie & Fitch ANF is also another name to consider, as the stock has been in an uptrend since the start of the year, and continues to be among the leaders in the retail space. You can also trade the SPDR S&P Retail ETF XRT if you want broader exposure to the retail space, as opposed to having single equity exposure.