Washington, DC, Dec. 11--Retails sales bounced back in November amid an increase in demand at auto dealers and electronics stores.
Retail sales rose 0.9% last month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday after sliding a revised 0.3% in October. Last month, overall sales were elevated by a 2.6% surge, the largest gain in eight months, in sales of motor vehicles and parts. Without those sales, overall retail sales would have gone up by 0.4%.
Economists were expecting a gain of 0.7% in overall retail sales, and a 0.3% increase in sales excluding autos, according to a survey by Dow Jones and CNBC.
Consumer spending accounts for roughly two-thirds of all economic activity, which means their spending habits play a key role in how the recovery unfolds.
At electronics and appliances stores, sales went up by 2.2%, while sales at health and beauty stores climbed 1.3%. Furniture sales increased 1%, and clothing-store sales gained 1.1%.
Sales at gasoline stations increased 1.6%, after a 1.9% drop in October, as prices rose at the pump. Excluding gasoline sales, sales at all other stores still went up by 0.8%.
There were some weak spots, though. Sales at department stores slipped 1.1%, piling on October's 1% drop. Sales of sporting goods, books and music shed by 0.5%.
