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Article: U.S. Retail Sales Rose 1.8 Percent in March.
- Article from:
- The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, FL)
- Article date:
- April 14, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 The Orlando Sentinel. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Sarah Hale Meitner
Apr. 14--U.S. shoppers splurged in March, giving retailers their biggest sales increase in a year and momentum heading into the summer.
Retail sales rose by 1.8 percent last month compared with February -- and 8.2 percent from a year ago -- well ahead of economists' forecasts, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
Consumers snapped up more of everything, from cars and furniture to spring apparel and gardening tools, boosting hopes that the nation's overall economic health may finally be improving. Consumer spending, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of all economic activity, is considered a key barometer in ...