美7月零售銷售出現四個月來最大漲幅

U.S. retail sales, a key barometer of the country's economic health, increased in July by the most in four months.

The government's Commerce Department said Friday that consumers spent more on autos, furniture and gasoline last month, helping push retail sales up by one-half of one percent, following a slightly smaller increase in June.

Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy, so consumer spending trends are watched closely. The July spending increase was the country's biggest since an advance of eight-tenths of a percent in March.

High unemployment and rising gasoline prices slowed the U.S. economic recovery earlier in the year. Gas prices have moderated lately, leaving a bit more cash in consumers' pockets.

However, many stock investors have worried this week as the country's stock markets have whipsawed wildly between losses and gains after Standard & Poor's downgraded the country's credit rating a week ago.

Back-to-school sales promotions helped boost some consumer spending last month, as did increased new car sales. Nine of the 13 categories measured by the government showed increased sales.美國7月份零售銷售創四個月來最快增長，零售銷售額是一個國家經濟健康與否的重要指標。

美國商務部星期五說，消費者上個月在汽車、傢俱和汽油方面的支出有所增加，幫助提振零售上漲0.5%。美國六月份的零售銷售也略有上漲。

消費者支出佔美國經濟的70%，因此消費者的支出的數據受到廣泛關注。7月份消費者支出是繼今年三月零售銷售出現0.8%的漲幅之後的最大漲幅。

居高不下的失業率和高漲的油價導致今年年初美國經濟復甦放緩。最近，汽油價格溫和下跌，讓消費者口袋有了更多一些現金。

不過，這星期讓許多股票投資者很擔心，原因是在信用評級公司標準普爾一個星期前將美國的信用評級下調後，美國股市劇烈波動。

上個月，學校開學前的促銷活動以及新汽車的銷售增加也幫助提振了消費者的支出。政府衡量的13類物品中有9大類出現了銷售增長。