Washington, Sha'ban 29, 1439, May 15, 2018, SPA -- U.S. retail sales increased moderately in April as rising gasoline prices cut into discretionary spending, the government reported Tuesday, but consumer spending appeared on track to accelerate after slowing sharply in the first quarter of the year. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose a solid 0.3 percent last month after surging a revised 0.8 percent in March. The April increase in retail sales was in line with economist expectations. Retail sales in April were up 4.7 percent from a year earlier. Spending gains were spread across most retail categories, with big increases at furniture and clothing stores. Auto sales rose only 0.1 percent last month after jumping 2.1 percent in March. Gasoline-station sales surged 0.8 percent, reflecting higher gasoline prices, following a 0.3 percent advance the previous month. Retail gasoline prices have risen steadily in the past year, driven higher mostly by oil-price gains. Average gasoline prices are near $3 a gallon (3.8 liters), according to the U.S. Energy Department. With crude-oil prices rising after President Donald Trump’s decision last week to withdraw the United States from the multilateral nuclear accord with Iran and his pledge to impose harsh sanctions on Tehran, gasoline prices are likely to remain elevated. Excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials, and food services, “core” retail sales rose 0.4 percent in April after increasing 0.5 percent the previous month. Such sales correspond most closely with the consumer-spending component of gross domestic product (GDP). Consumer spending—which accounts for two-thirds of U.S. economic activity—slowed sharply to a 1.1 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter, expanding at its slowest pace in nearly five years, as GDP growth slowed to a 2.3 percent annual rate. Consumer spending has rebounded in the past two months, a trend that should lift GDP growth in the April-June quarter. Spending likely will remain healthy in coming months, supported by a strong labor market that is showing early signs of lifting wages. The unemployment rate has fallen to a 17-year low of 3.9 percent, and measures of consumer confidence remain strong, despite rising gasoline prices and a volatile stock market. --SPA 21:32 LOCAL TIME 18:32 GMT 0031 www.spa.gov.sa/w689065