American Shoppers Take Breather After Retail Sales Surge

Spending at U.S retailers held steady in April after a surge in the previous month that put economic growth on track to pick up in the second quarter.

Purchases increased 0.1 percent to $434.6 billion following a revised 1.5 percent jump in March that marked the biggest gain in four years, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected an even larger advance last month.