Stocks set to rise after upbeat retail sales data

US retail sales unexpectedly rose 0.3 percent in February, despite severe winter storms that hammered large regions of the country, official data showed Friday.The Commerce Department said that retail and food service sales increased to 355.5 billion dollars, according to adjusted data that does not reflect price changes.On a 12-month basis, retail sales were 3.9 percent higher than in February 2009, when the government passed a nearly 800-billion-dollar stimulus package in a bid to pull the economy out of the worst recession in decades.

Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.

Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as U.S. consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.

Stocks are rising in early trading after retail sales unexpectedly rose in February, raising hopes that the economy may be gaining momentum.

US retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.5 percent in January, official data showed Friday in a report suggesting that consumer spending key to economic recovery is gaining momentum.The Commerce Department reported that seasonally adjusted retail sales totaled 355.8 billion dollars in January, a half percentage point higher than in December and 4.7 percent higher than the year-ago level.The increase in retail and food-service sales was better than the 0.3 percent expected by most analysts.

The storied American consumer braved blizzards and economic headwinds to shop in February, unexpectedly pushing up retail sales for the second straight month, official data showed Friday.The Commerce Department said that retail and food service sales rose 0.3 percent from January to 355.5 billion dollars, while most analysts expected they would fall 0.2 percent amid fierce winter storms that hammered large areas of the country.

Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.