Americans ramped up spending last month as prices for gasoline spiked: retail sales rose a larger-than-expected 0.6% in August, the Commerce Department said Thursday. Why it matters: The data, which is not adjusted for inflation, shows consumers spent more as costs at the pump surged. But excluding those costs, shoppers still look resilient in the face of higher prices. By the numbers: The jump in retail sales is much larger than the 0.1% monthly increase that economists expected. • It's also slightly larger than the 0.5% increase in July, which was revised a tick lower. Between the lines: Consumers increased ... (full story)