U.S. retail sales rose 0.8% in September after an upwardly revised 1.3% jump in August, the Census Bureau said Thursday.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected a 0.3% rise. Higher gasoline prices did much of the heavy lifting. Sales of other goods were more moderate, which could cool expectations for another quarter of very strong consumer spending.
The report lands alongside hotter inflation and three weeks before the midterms, when polls show cost of living as voters’ top concern. Retail figures are not adjusted for inflation, so some of the dollar gain reflects higher prices rather than more stuff bought.
Toy prices alone are up 6.6% over the past year as tariffs and energy costs hit imported goods ahead of the holidays, Reuters reported.
Sources: Reuters via Devdiscourse. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Julo / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
