Retail Sales Grow 0.5% in January

Retail sales climbed 0.5% in January, the third increase in four months, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The increase followed a revised 0.1% drop in December that had originally been reported as 0.3%.

Economists had forecast January sales would rise 0.3%, Bloomberg reported.

Purchases excluding automobiles gained 0.6%, in contrast to the 0.5% increase that was forecast.

Auto sales were unchanged after a 0.1% gain in December.

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