Retail sales up in May

The Commerce Department reported that retail sales went up 0.1 percent last month to $308.78 billion, after a 0.3 percent drop in April.

Excluding automobiles, sales also rose 0.1 percent to $234.29 billion following a 0.9 percent decline in the prior month.

With rising home sales, consumers bought new furniture and appliances. Sales of furniture and home furnishing jumped 1.1 percent in May.