Retail Sales Increase 0.5%, Commerce Says

Retail sales climbed 0.5% in May, the first increase in three months, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The increase followed a revised 0.2% drop in April that was smaller than the 0.4% decline originally reported.

The May increase was in line with economists’ projections, Bloomberg reported.

Automobile sales sold at a 9.9 million annual pace in May, compared with a 9.3 million rate in April, Bloomberg said.

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