US retail sales rose sharply in September, according to figures released by the Commerce Department on Friday.
Retail sales came in at $625.4 billion, up 0.7% from a revised level of $620.9 billion in August.
While analysts expected a 0.2% decline on a monthly level, the figure in August was revised up from an increase of 0.7% to 0.9%.
The annual increase in September was 13.9%, compared to the same month of 2020.
“Gasoline stations were up 38.2% from September 2020, while food services and drinking places were up 29.5% from last year,” the agency’s Census Bureau said in a statement.
They were followed by clothing and accessories stores with an annual increase of 22.4%, and electronics and appliance stores with 17.2%.
High inflation continues to be a major problem for the American economy.
The consumer price index (CPI) in September rose 0.4% from the previous month and 5.4% from the same period last year, while the producer price index (PPI) increased 0.5% on a monthly basis and 8.6% annually, according to the latest figures of the Labor Department.
Source: Anadolu Agency
