Americans increased their spending last month as inflation eased in many areas, and the job market remained remarkably strong.
Americans increased their spending last month as inflation eased in many areas, and the job market remained remarkably strong.
Retail sales rose 0.2% from May to June, following a revised 0.5% increase the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
The figure matched the pace of consumer inflation in June from the prior month, underscoring that shoppers are just about keeping up with pricing pressures.
While the headline number of 0.2% was a bit weaker than expected, economists focused on data that excludes volatile autos, gas, building materials and food services, which rose a solid 0.
