U.S. retail sales jumped 1.1% in September, the biggest increase in seven months, as consumers bought more autos, clothing and home furnishings, according to Commerce Department data. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected an increase of 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Auto sales jumped 3.6% last month - the biggest increase in a year and a half - as carmakers sold nearly 1.1 million vehicles.
Excluding the auto sector, sales rose 0.6%, but that was still higher than market expectations of a 0.4% increase.
Sales for August, which were originally reported as unchanged, were revised up to a 0.3% increase.
Import prices made a surprise rise in September, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Prices rose 0.3% in September, while economists polled by MarketWatch had anticipated a 0.4% drop.
In addition, August prices were revised to show a 0.2% drop against an initially reported 0.4% decline. Compared to September 2010, import prices are up 13.4%, as fuel prices are up 43.4% and the prices of nonfuel imports have gained 5.5%.
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