April Retail Sales Rise 0.5%, Commerce Reports

etail sales rose 0.5% in April, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

ales rose to $362.7 billion, following a 0.6% rise in March.

The April gain was below economists’ forecasts of a 0.8% increase, Bloomberg reported.

Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.

Retail sales account for almost half of all consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the economy.