Retail Sales in U.S. Increase for a Second Month (Shobhana Chandra)

Sept. 14, 2010 (Bloomberg) -- Sales at U.S. retailers rose in August for a second consecutive month, easing concern the economy will stumble in the second half of the year.

Purchases increased 0.4 percent following a 0.3 percent gain in July that was smaller than previously estimated, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Sales excluding automobiles advanced twice as much as forecast.

Demand at chains like Kohl’s Corp. and Ross Stores Inc. climbed as more states had tax-free holidays and some merchants offered bigger discounts to lure back-to-school shoppers. A lack of jobs and the need to repair household finances will probably restrain consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the economy, for the rest of the year.

“It’s reassuring,” said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York, who correctly forecast the ex-auto sales figure. “It takes out some of the fears we had about a month ago about the economy maybe slipping into recession. If the labor market picks up, it’s sustainable.”

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