Sales at US retailers increased in September for the fourth consecutive month, boosted by low unemployment and a buoyant stock market.
Retail sales, which account for about a third of overall spending, rose 0.2% in September, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. That was a much slower pace than August’s 0.6% gain.
But after factoring in the 0.3% increase in prices that month, according to the Consumer Price Index for September, retail spending edged down 0.1%.
Spending was up across half of categories in September, increasing the most at so-called miscellaneous retailers by a solid 2.9%. Sales also increased at restaurants and bars, rising 0.7%. Meanwhile, sales were down at car dealerships, clothing stores, electronics retailers, department stores and online.
The report was originally due on October 16, but it was delayed because of the government shutdown.
The figures show that consumer spending, the lifeblood of the US economy, was somewhat weak heading into the current quarter, which stretches from October through December. In September, employers added jobs at a robust pace and unemployment ticked up but remained low.