Good News, April | featured news

Big chains report an 8.9% increase from a year earlier, led by discounters and apparel stores. A later Easter is considered only partly responsible for the big jump.

General Motors' U.S. sales of cars and truck jumped 27 percent in April as the economy continued to improve and $4 a gallon gasoline pushed buyers into more efficient vehicles.

The pace of expansion in U.S. manufacturing slowed in April for a second straight month but was brisker than expected, data showed on Monday, a sign the sector was holding up despite slower national growth.

Consumers felt better about the short-term outlook for the economy in April as expectations about the pace of inflation and concerns about the labor market eased.

In a sign that the state's struggling labor market may be strengthening, 14,200 positions were added by employers in April, the second straight month of expansion.

Retail sales and industrial production in April both enjoyed continued growth, reinforcing the sustainability of the economic recovery in the United States. On Friday the U.S. Commerce Department reported retail sales gained 0.4% in April, ahead of Wall Street’s expected 0.2% rise, but below the 2.1% jump in March. Peter Newland, economist at Barclays Capital, notes that the total was driven by a 0.5% increase in both autos and gasoline, and a 6.9% jump in building material sales. All of that is nice, but core sales, which exclude these elements, actually fell 0.2%, which is much weaker than excepted.

While improving, the job market still has a long way to go before it can be counted on to provide a base for a sustained economic recovery.

Early reports from retailers show that Americans took a a breather from their March shopping spree in April, partly because Easter came earlier. But the spring selling season is ending up respectable, an encouraging sign for the economy....

General Motors said its domestic sales in April rose 20% for the four brands the company is keeping thanks to continued strength in crossover vehicles and cars.

U.S. auto sales continued to rise in April as the stabilizing economy and attractive discounts brought more consumers into showrooms.