Economy, Retailer | featured news

Consumers spent more in March on furniture, electronics and at restaurants, but also paid more for gas. Retail sales increased 0.4 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. It was the ninth consecutive monthly gain.

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 December for the sixth consecutive month, but questions about the economy still remain.

Though December was weaker than expected, the overall holiday season was still relatively strong, analysts said.

Retail sales were solidly higher in November, the government reported Tuesday, fueled in part by deep discounting on holiday merchandise.

U.S. online retail sales through the first 40 days of the 2010 holiday shopping season are up 12% from a year ago, according to a Sunday update from ComScore.

The results released reinforced reports over the weekend that consumers shopped, spent and were buying non-necessities again.

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.

Retailers are reporting surprisingly solid gains for August even as unusually hot weather and job worries kept a lid on back-to-school buying.