US retail sales show comprehensive growth, last month's data revised upwards.

Driven by car sales and large online promotions, retail sales in the United States increased across the board in July, indicating that consumers have increased spending in recent months. Data released on Friday showed that retail sales, excluding inflation adjustments, increased by 0.5% in the month, revised up from 0.9% in June. Excluding the automotive sector, retail sales increased by 0.3%. Nine out of thirteen categories saw growth, with the largest increase in car sales since March leading the way. The growth in sales for online retailers and department stores may have been driven by Amazon extending its Prime Day, Walmart's week-long "Rollbacks," and similar promotions at Target. Friday's report suggested a much stronger start to consumer spending in the second half of the year, after six months of uncertainty surrounding Trump's policies had dampened market sentiment and caused many consumers to adopt a wait-and-see approach.