Earlier reports on U.S. retail sales for the month of March revealed sluggish improvements from the winter months, but the latest findings reveal the first quarter finished on a strong note. This will translate into a major rebound in the second quarter of 2014, as the weather and economic conditions improve.

According to the Commerce Department, March saw a month-over-month increase of 1.1 percent in all retail sales, which was the largest monthly gain since September 2012. This was a bit higher than Bloomberg's projected gain of 0.9 percent, but the news source reported that expert projections ranged from 0.1 percent losses to 1.5 percent gains. 

"It shows there is an underlying current of strength in the economy despite the drag from the severe winter weather," Robert Dye, the chief economist at Comerica, told Reuters.

As the weather slowly warms up across the nation, retail sales will likely jump even higher in April and beyond. It will help that 2014 has seen significant gains in employment, with an average 195,000 jobs per month added in January and February, and no signs of slowing, according to Reuters. With more people entering the workforce, there will consequently be an uptick in sales.

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, April 18th, 2014 at 6:12 am .