Sizing up retail sales

The Commerce Department issues its March tally of U.S. retail sales Thursday.

Economists project retail spending jumped 5.4% last month after falling 3% in February, when bad weather kept some shoppers away from stores. The distribution of $1,400 direct payments to millions of Americans as part of the federal government’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package likely helped fuel a pickup in retail spending in March.