Retail sales rose 0.2% in March, the Commerce Department said Monday.
The increase was led by higher prices for gasoline and followed a 0.4% decline in February. Economists had forecast no change for the month.
Purchases excluding gasoline were unchanged last month, after falling 0.3%, Bloomberg reported. Filling station receipts rose 1.1%, following a 0.5% decline in February.
Excluding automobiles, sales rose 0.1%, in line with forecasts, Bloomberg said. 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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