US September Retail Sales Ex-Autos and Gas Rise 0.2% MoM, In Line With Forecast

The headline number is the least interesting part: matching consensus after a 1.2% prior-month gain means the consumer didn't collapse, but the momentum clearly faded into September. For crypto and RWA markets, this is macro backdrop rather than a direct driver — a softer core retail print feeds into the rate-path debate that still sets risk appetite. The open question is whether the prior month's strength was a one-off and whether this deceleration continues into the next data cycle.