Missing-in-Action U.S. Consumer Returns as Retail Sales Rise
The American consumer, missing in action for much of 2015, showed up in May.
Retail sales increased 1.2 percent last month, reflecting broad-based gains from car dealers to clothing outlets to department stores, after a 0.2 percent advance in April, according to data Thursday from the Commerce Department. A report on jobless claims pointed to continued strength in the labor market.