UK Retail Sales Top Expectations With 1.4% Rise in April

The transcript discusses April's retail sales data, which showed a 1.4% increase, surpassing expectations. Despite this positive short-term news, concerns about consumer confidence and inflation's impact on equity markets remain. The UK consumer is seen as vulnerable to stagflation. Yearly data shows declines since the pandemic, but the short-term outlook is better than expected.

What does the data suggest about the UK consumer's vulnerability?

What is the overall sentiment regarding the economic data despite some declines?