April Retail Sales Edge Up 0.1%
Retail sales rose 0.1% in April following a decline in March, the Commerce Department reported Monday.
Economists had forecast a 0.3% decline in April sales, Bloomberg News reported. March’s decline was revised from an originally reported 0.4% drop.
Nine of 13 major categories showed gains, led by a 1.2% increase in sales at clothing stores, the largest increase in more than a year.
Cars and light trucks sold at an annual rate of 14.9 million in April, down from a 15.2 million pace in March, Bloomberg reported, citing Ward’s Automotive Group figures.
Sales excluding automobiles, fuel and building materials rose 0.5%, Bloomberg reported.
Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
