The U.S. Commerce Department released the retail sales data on Friday. The U.S. retail sales climbed 1.3% in April, exceeding expectations for a 0.7% rise, after a 0.3% fall in March. It was the biggest rise since March 2015.
March’s figure was revised up from a 0.4% decline.
The increase was mainly driven by a rise in sales at auto dealerships.
Sales at clothing retailers were up 1.0% in April, sales at building material and garden equipment stores decreased 1.0%, while sales at auto dealerships jumped 3.2%.
Retail sales excluding automobiles rose 0.8% in April, beating expectations for a 0.3% increase, after a 0.4% gain in March. March’s figure was revised up from a 0.1% rise.
Sales at service stations climbed 2.2% in April, while sales at furniture stores rose 0.7%.
These figures indicates that the U.S. economy could rebound in the second quarter after the weak growth in the first quarter.
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