Retail Sales, Good News | featured news

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.

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

Retail sales at major chain stores beat analysts' expectations, rising 4.4% year-over-year in August, according to Thomson Reuters' tally of 23 retailers. Discounters, including Target Corp. and Costco Wholesale Corp., did well as East Coasters stocked up before Hurricane Irene.

Deep discounts and the warmest July weather in decades should help retail chains report a rise in monthly sales, with many expecting warehouse clubs and high-end chains to lead the way.

U.S. retail sales rose slightly in June. Initial claims for jobless benefits fell sharply last week but remained at elevated levels.

Stocks are shaking off a two-week slump after a report on retail sales wasn't as bad as economists had predicted... The government said Tuesday that retail sales edged down 0.2 percent last month, the first decline in nearly a year. That was slightly better than analysts were expecting. Americans bought fewer cars during the month, but the decline reflected temporary supply chain disruptions caused by the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. Excluding weak car sales, retail sales rose 0.3 percent.

Big chains report an 8.9% increase from a year earlier, led by discounters and apparel stores. A later Easter is considered only partly responsible for the big jump.

Bad weather, higher gasoline prices and a later Easter were expected to result in the first monthly retail sales decline since 2009, but consumers continued to spend in March, giving retailers a modest 1.7% gain over the same period last year.Retailers delivered another decent performance last month, with shoppers continuing to spend despite poor weather, high gasoline prices and a later Easter.

U.S. retail sales climbed at the fastest rate in four months during February, increasing by 1.0% from the previous month to $387.12 billion.

US retail sales rose in January for the seventh consecutive month, although the increase was the weakest since June 2010.