Vehicles at an Audi showroom in Miami, March 29, 2025. (Saul Martinez/The New York Times)
WASHINGTON: U.S. retail sales surged in March as households boosted purchases of motor vehicles ahead of tariffs, though concerns about the economic outlook are hurting discretionary spending.
Retail sales increased 1.4% last month after an unrevised 0.2% rise in February, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast retail sales, which are mostly goods and are not adjusted for inflation, accelerating 1.3%.
