Retail Sales Rise as Consumers Make Room for Bigger Purchases

Consumers didn’t wait to shell out funds for cars, furniture and electronics in August. Retail sales rose 1.2% from July to $773.9 billion, reversing July’s 0.5% decline, with several categories associated with larger household purchases participating in the rebound. Electronics and appliance stores gained 1.6%, furniture and home furnishings rose 0.9%, and motor vehicle and parts dealers increased 0.6%.