US retail sales rose 1.1 per cent in June from the previous month, the US Commerce Department said.
The gain in June retail sales was larger than expected. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for retail sales to rise 0.6 per cent last month.
Excluding cars, retail sales rose 0.4 per cent in June, in line with the consensus forecast. Excluding petrol, retail sales increased 1.1 per cent in the month, the biggest rise since October. In May, retail sales excluding gasoline were down 0.1 per cent.
So-called "core" retail sales, or sales excluding cars and petrol, rose 0.4 per cent in June after being down 0.2 per cent in May.
In May, overall retail sales fell a revised 1.1 per cent, weaker than the previous estimate of a fall of 0.9 per cent.
The rise in June retail sales was led by sales at car dealerships, department stores and clothing retailers. Year-on-year, retail sales in June were up 3.3 per cent.
Building material sales rose 0.1 per cent after falling 0.6 per cent.
Sales at health and personal care stores rose 0.2 per cent after falling 0.6 per cent the prior month.