Retail sales rise a solid 0.5% in July from June helped by rebounding auto sales

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, Associated Press Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers spent at a healthy pace in July, particularly at the nation’s auto dealerships, as they shrug off President Donald Trump’s tariffs, which are starting to take a toll on jobs and lead to some price increases.

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Retail sales rose 0.5% last month, a slowdown from a revised 0.9% in June, which was revised upward, according to the Commerce Department’s report released Friday. The pace in July matched economists’ estimates.

The increases followed two consecutive months of spending declines — a 0.1% pullback in April and a 0.9% slowdown in May.

Excluding auto sales, which have been volatile since Trump imposed tariffs on many foreign-made cares, retail sales rose 0.3%.

Auto sales rose 1.6%. They app