Retail sales jumped 1% in May, the Commerce Department said Thursday.
The increase was the most since November and followed a 0.4% gain in April that was previously reported as a 0.2% decline. Purchases excluding gasoline rose 0.8%.
The increase was about double economists’ forecasts, Bloomberg said.
Purchases of electronics rose 0.7%, while department store sales jumped 1.2%, the most in more than a year.
Purchases at auto dealerships and parts stores gained 0.3%, after falling 2.1% in April. Filling station sales surged 2.6%, on higher prices. Ìý Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.
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