Economic Recovery, Retailer | featured news

Retail sales fell for a third straight month in June as demand slumped for everything from cars and electronics to building materials, a sign the economic recovery is flagging.

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.

Retail sales in the U.S. climbed more than forecast in September, easing concern that unemployment stuck near a 26-year high will bring the recovery to a halt.

Retailers should see their best Christmas sales in four years as consumers now show some inclination to spend money despite a minimal recovery in the economy, according to series of recent forecasts.

Retail sales fell in June for the second straight month, more evidence that the U.S. economic recovery will slow in the second half of the year.

Retail sales and industrial production in April both enjoyed continued growth, reinforcing the sustainability of the economic recovery in the United States. On Friday the U.S. Commerce Department reported retail sales gained 0.4% in April, ahead of Wall Street’s expected 0.2% rise, but below the 2.1% jump in March. Peter Newland, economist at Barclays Capital, notes that the total was driven by a 0.5% increase in both autos and gasoline, and a 6.9% jump in building material sales. All of that is nice, but core sales, which exclude these elements, actually fell 0.2%, which is much weaker than excepted.

The 0.3 percent increase, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery was gaining momentum.

Consumers spent more on gasoline and a wide range of other goods, data showed, raising hopes of a self-sustaining economic recovery.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless insurance hit a nine-month low last week and retailers reported their first monthly sales gain in over a year on Thursday, easing fears that recovery from recession would be unsustainable.

Disappointing performance underscores concerns about the timing and durability of a recovery.