18.04.201908:44:00UTC+00U.S. Retail Sales Jump Much More Than Expected In March

Retail sales in the U.S. spiked by much more than expected in the month of March, the Commerce Department revealed in a report released on Thursday.

The Commerce Department said retail sales soared by 1.6 percent in March after edging down by 0.2 percent in February. Economists had expected retail sales to climb by 0.9 percent.

Excluding a jump in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales still surged up by 1.2 percent in March following a revised 0.2 percent dip in February.

Ex-auto sales had been expected to increase by 0.7 percent compared to the 0.4 percent drop originally reported for the previous month.