Post Reply
1-1 of 1
June 11, 2009, 8.49 pm (Singapore time)
US retail sales rise 0.5% in May
 |
Email this article |
 |
Print article |
 |
Feedback |
WASHINGTON - Sales at US retailers rose for the first time in three months in May as expected, lifted by strong petrol and building material receipts, according to a government report on Thursday that bolstered views the recession was abating.
The Commerce Department said total retail sales rose 0.5 per cent after falling by a revised 0.2 per cent in April, previously reported as a 0.4 per cent drop.
Excluding motor vehicles and parts, sales rose 0.5 per cent in May, compared to a 0.2 per cent decline the prior month. Vehicles and parts sales rose 0.5 per cent after a 0.4 per cent fall in April.
Petrol sales jumped 3.6 per cent in May after dropping 0.8 per cent the previous month. Excluding petrol, retail sales rose 0.2 per cent. Sales of building materials climbed 1.3 per cent in May, the biggest advance since April last year, after falling 0.6 per cent in April.
Soft spots in the report included sales of electronic goods, which fell 0.5 per cent in May after declining 0.9 per cent the previous month. -- REUTERS