U.S. retail sales advanced in July by the most this year, with widespread gains from department stores to building materials outlets that signal a robust start to consumer spending in the third quarter, according to Commerce Department figures released Tuesday. Highlights of Retail Sales (July) • Overall sales climbed 0.6% (est. 0.3% gain) after 0.3% advance in prior month (revised from 0.2% decline) • Sales excluding autos and gasoline rose 0.5% after a 0.3% rise • Retail-control group sales, which are used to calculate GDP and exclude the categories of food services, auto dealers, building materials stores and ... (full story)