Retail Sales | featured news

U.S. retail sales declined in April and May, pulled down by a sharp drop in gas prices. But even after excluding volatile gas sales, consumers barely increased their spending... Americans did spend more in May on big purchases. Sales of cars, furniture and appliances all increased. That suggests consumers may be gaining more confidence in the economy.

A healthier job market and warmer weather encouraged more Americans to shop in March.

Stocks climbed to new heights in part on rosy retail sales data, pushing the broad market to levels last seen in June 2008 and the Nasdaq composite index past the 3,000 milestone for the first time since 2000.

Retail sales recorded their largest gain in five months in February as Americans snapped up motor vehicles and bought a range of goods even as they paid more for gasoline, government data showed on Tuesday.

Bloomberg reports that U.S. consumer confidence is almost back to pre-recession levels. But is that actually good news? Over at the Big Picture, James Bianco says it’s not clear why “consumer confidence” is a useful metric. It’s not correlated with jobs. Or retail sales.

U.S. retail sales rose less than expected in January as consumers cut back on car purchases and did less online shopping.

Retail sales barely rose in December, but the gain was enough to lift sales to a record level for 2011. It marked the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Sales inched up 0.1 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted $400.6 billion, The Commerce Department said Thursday. It was the second straight month that sales have topped $400 billion. Never before had monthly sales reached that level.

When top retailers post their December sales this week, Wall Street analysts are expecting them to report a healthy end to the holiday season, helped by discounts, improved consumer sentiment and tactics like extended hours and layaways.

The sales jump occurred in a crucial month for the industry, as gift buying surges in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Video game software sales rebounded in November, a crucial month for the industry as gift buying takes off in the weeks leading up to the holidays.

U.S. consumers spent more on autos, clothing and furniture in September to boost retail sales by the most in seven months.