US Retail Sales Barely Increase In Sign of Consumer Strain
- Value of purchases rose 0.1% in May after downward revisions
- Households have costlier debt, delinquencies continue to rise
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US retail sales barely rose in May and prior months were revised lower, pointing to greater financial strain among consumers.
The value of retail purchases, unadjusted for inflation, increased 0.1% after an downwardly revised 0.2% drop in the prior month, Commerce Department data showed Tuesday. Excluding gasoline, sales rose 0.3%.