Spring Retail Sales Bloom

According to the National Retail Federation, March retail sales increased 0.8 percent from February and 6.6 percent year-over-year. In a press release, Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF, said consumers are demonstrating the intent and ability to spend on discretionary items. Specifically, clothing and accessories sales increased 0.9 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and 12.5 percent unadjusted year-over-year. Other categories that saw moderate growth are furniture and home furnishings, spring goods, books and music.