Retail Sales Jumped 1.9 Percent in September

Retail sales reportedly rose 1.9 percent in September, according to The Commerce Department and Reuters. This is up from a 0.6 percent increase in August. Excluding categories like gasoline, food services, building materials and cars, sales increased 1.4 percent in September.

Also in September, auto dealership sales rose to 3.6 percent after growing by 0.7 percent in August. Restaurant and bar sales increased by 2.1 percent while mail-order and online sales rose 0.5 percent; clothing retailers saw a jump of 11 percent, Reuters reports.

Growth estimates for the fourth quarter have been revised to 2.5 percent.