Retail Sales Rise 0.2% in October

Retail sales rose 0.2% in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.

The gain followed a 0.7% increase in September. Sales excluding automobiles also rose 0.2%.
The increase was slightly greater than economists’ forecasts of a 0.1% rise, Bloomberg reported.

Commerce said that recent high fuel prices, which left consumers with fewer dollars to spend, played a part in the slower growth.

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