The release of US retails sales kicked off the week with very positive results

The release of US retails sales kicked off the week with very positive results. Sales jumped significantly in March by 1.1% over February. That's the highest monthly gain in over a year and yet another data point showing weather was leading culprit in the winter economic slowdown. The year-over-year change in retail sales turned positive as well, showing a 3.8% annual gain. If we were to strip out gasoline sales (down 1.3% in March) the numbers would look even better. Keep in mind, gasoline prices are volatile and really don't tell us that much about consumer spending habits. Besides gasoline, every other component of the retail sales index was positive in March besides Electronics & Appliances. Perhaps the US economy is finally on the verge of moving from moderate growth to a more robust pace. (VIEW LINK)