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                       US Retail Sales Increase in April

   by VOA News

   U.S. retail sales rose in April, as households bought cars, building
   materials and other goods.
   Monday's report from the Commerce Department said consumer spending
   rose one-tenth of a percent from the previous month.
   Outside the volatile areas, like fuel and cars, spending in the overall
   economy jumped five-tenths of a percent.
   Economists and investors track retail sales closely because consumer
   demand drives about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.
   The report surprised many economists who had predicted that retail
   sales would decline as the effect of tax increases and government
   spending cuts worked their way through the economy.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-retail-sales-increase-in-april/166
   0049.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-retail-sales-increase-in-april/1660049.html