Buoyed by Covid-19-focused government stimulus checks, U.S. retail sales saw sequential increases for the first time in three months, according to data issued in mid-February by the U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Census Bureau and the National Retail Federation (NRF).Commerce reported that January retail sales-at $568.2 billion-were up 5.3% compared to December and were up 7.4% annually. Total retail sales, from November 2020 through January 2021, were up 4.6% compared to the same time a year ago.January retail trade sales increased 5.1% compared to December and 10.8% annually, while non-store retailers-including e-commerce sales, which have seen significant growth over the course of the pandemic-saw a 28.7% annual increase, while sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument and book stores rose 22.5%.
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