by Alison Storm | 05/13/10

New figures show spending in April declined as compared to March retail numbers. It's the first decline in spending among Americans in three months, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse. So what's to blame for the drop in spending? Experts say cool weather is partly to blame. Plus, an early Easter impacted March sales, not April. The drop in spending is proof the economy is still on shaky ground, according to some reports. "We're still in recovery mode. This is not being reversed," Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research for SpendingPulse, told Yahoo! Finance. But he also said  that "this is a reminder that even though we have seen a rebound, we are still in an environment of high unemployment and relatively high savings rate." Here are some recent stats:

• Retail sales fell 2 percent in April as compared to March.


• Before this drop, sales had increased by 1.4 percent in March, 1.9 percent in February and 2.8 percent in January.


• If you don't include gas and auto sales, spending did increase by a meager .3 percent in April as compared to March.


• Increased gasoline prices negatively impact overall figures.

There are some positive reports, including from department store Macy's which returned to profitability during the first quarter of 2010. "While the economy has been stronger than we anticipated, it is unclear how strong it really is," Karen Hoguet, Macy's chief financial officer told investors during a conference call, and Yahoo!Finance reported. Government figures are due out tomorrow.