Retail Sales, Good News | featured news

The nation’s stores posted a second consecutive month of sales increases, marking the retailing industry’s best performance in over a year.

The government says retail sales advanced in June by the largest amount in five months, led by a surge in gasoline prices and a slight rebound in the battered auto sector.

The number of newly laid-off Americans filing jobless claims fell more than expected last week and retail sales grew in May for the first time in three months, fresh evidence that the worst of the recession may have past.