Retail Sales Rise Unexpectedly in February

Retail sales showed an unexpected rise in February by 0.3 percent resulting from consumers braving the snowstorms to get out of the house and spend money at stores and restaurants. The Commerce Department noted this increase, the biggest since November, surpassed predictions of a 0.2 percent decline for February. Big discount stores such as Wal-Mart and general merchandise stores, a category that includes department stores, reported solid sales increases. Analysts sees this as a positive sign for recovery from the current recession. To read the full MSNBC article - Retail sales rise unexpectedly in February - Retail - msnbc.com