Retail Sales Higher
Friday, February 12, 11:22 AM ET

Much of the strength came from increased sales at general merchandise stores, including big national chains such as Walmart and Target.

Sales at auto dealerships were flat, following a 0.1 percent rise in December, which is in part attributed to safety recalls by Toyota.

Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of US economic activity, and an increase is crucial to an economic recovery.

The report comes on the heels of the Obama administration's annual economic report to Congress, in which it was forecast the economy would create 95,900 jobs per month this year, which many view as not significant enough to make a dent in the stubbornly high 9.7 percent unemployment rate.