US retail sales plunge in April

US retail sales went into freefall last month as lockdowns kept families away from the shops, while soaring unemployment forced households to be more careful with their money. Sales dived by more than 16pc on the month in April, the steepest fall since monthly records began more than half a century ago, and came on top of the 8pc drop in March. Compared with April last year the decline is more than a fifth, according to the US Department of Commerce. Sales of clothing and accessories collapsed b