US economic data show deep hit in March, collapse in April

Almost every US state has issued a stay-at-home order and many businesses have temporarily shuttered in effort to contain the virus.

WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) -- US retail sales and factory output posted historic declines in March, and other figures showed that the worst is yet to come.

The value of overall retail sales fell 8.7% from the prior month, the biggest decline in records dating back to 1992, according to Commerce Department data released Wednesday.