U.S. shoppers kept their wallets open for the fourth straight month as retail sales rose at a better-than-expected pace in May, new government data show.
Retail sales advanced 0.9 percent last month, from a downwardly revised 0.4 percent gain in April, according to new Census Bureau data released on June 17.
Economists had predicted a reading of 0.5 percent.
Transactions at gasoline stations were the biggest driver, climbing more than 3 percent.
Motorists have been contending with elevated gasoline prices for more than three months as the war in Iran upended global energy markets.
But relief could be on the way for drivers as the national average for a gallon of gas is inching closer to $4….