August retail sales up 0.4 pct., best in 5 months

[WI_DEM]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Retail sales rose in August by the largest amount in five months, adding to evidence that a late spring economic swoon was temporary and not the start of another recession.

Retail sales increased 0.4 percent last month, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. It was the second straight monthly increase and the biggest gain since March.

Excluding a decline in autos, retail sales increased 0.6 percent. That followed two relatively flat months and a sharp drop in May.


http://enews.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20100914/1af9b463-4282-418a-bba9-93a8cdf85f40

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. Good. (recc'd)

[4lbs]

2. So... I guess this means that Warren Buffett and Steve Ballmer are correct?

They both said they were confident in the economy over the next two years and that there would NOT be a double-dip recession.

[golfguru]

3. My back to school teenager contributed /

[Hawkowl]

4. NONSENSE

Retail always pops in August due to back to school expenditures. What this "data" fails to do is compare it to August of 2009, where there would be a decline.

Here is a better reference to explain it: http://www.gallup.com/poll/142913/Consumer-Spending-Across-Income-Groups-Down-August.aspx