| FEBRUARY 13, 2009 U.S. retail sales increased 1% in January from the prior month, a marginal uptick attributed to deep price discounts and seasonal factors after weak holiday sales. The jump follows six consecutive months of retail-sales declines, but economists say it hardly foretells a rebound. "At this point, the best we can hope for is that we're bottoming," said Brian Bethune, an economist at forecasting firm IHS Global Insight. The retail-sales report from the Commerce Department showed increases across a range of sectors, which economists attribute to discounting and easier. Link to Article |