Retail Sales Gain in March

Transport Topics, April, 2007 by Anonymous

U.S. retail sales rose 0.7% in March, the biggest jump in three months, the Commerce Department said April 16. That followed a revised 0.5% gain in February.

In other economic news:

* Industrial production fell 0.2% in March, the Federal Reserve said.

* The consumer price index rose 0.6% in March, the Labor Department reported. The core CPI, excluding food and energy, rose 0.1% - the smallest gain this year.

* The producer price index rose 1% in March, Labor said. The core PPI, excluding food and energy, was unchanged.

* The U.S. trade deficit narrowed 0.7% in February to $58.4 billion, Commerce said.

* New housing starts rose for a second straight month in March, Commerce said, gaining 0.8% to a 1.518-million-unit annual rate.