Overall retail sales in the U.S. increased 1.3 percent in April, beating expectations and fueling optimism, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Overall retail sales reached a seasonally adjusted $453.44 billion, the largest gain since March last year. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.8 percent rise.
Excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, retail sales grew 0.9 percent in April and were revised upward for March to a 0.2 percent increase, the government said, compared to the forecast of 0.3 percent by economists polled by Reuters.
