Tax Checks Spent at Malls

Retail sales continued to rise in July as tax cuts kicked in, helping consumers go shopping for cars, electronics and other goods.

Sales rose 1.4% to $317 billion, the fastest clip in four months, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The increase came on the heels of a revised 0.9% rise in June and beat economists' consensus estimate of a 1% rise.

Excluding automobiles, sales grew 0.8% last month, following a revised 1% gain, also above forecasts of a 0.6% rise. ...