Retail sales in July rose 0.5% from the prior month, a rise that was slightly below Wall Street forecasts but a sign the consumer continues to steady the ship after a dramatic drop in spending this spring. Economists had expected retail sales to rise 0.6% from the prior month in July, according to data from Bloomberg. Excluding autos and gas, retail sales rose 0.2% last month. Friday's report marks the second-straight month retail sales rose after two months of declines in May and April, with May's 0.9% heightening fears over the health of the US consumer. June's retail sales were also revised higher on Friday, with ... (full story)