The WSJ reports,retail sales increased 0.1% in April from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted $434.57 billion, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That was lower than the 0.4% gain forecast by economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal and marked a big step down from March.
Excluding auto purchases, retail sales were unchanged.
The Commerce Department revised March's retail-sales increase upward to 1.5%. The March gain was originally reported at 1.1% but was bumped up to 1.2% as part of an annual revision on April 30.
April's data could soften hopes for a second-quarter rebound in the economy after a soft patch in the first quarter that was largely attributed to weather. Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic output.
Tuesday's report showed spending at furniture and electronics stores fell, while spending on groceries showed modest growth. Spending on clothes, up 1.2%, was one of the few categories to show a healthy gain.
