WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.6% in June, the best gain in five months, the Commerce Department estimated Tuesday. Strong auto and gasoline sales offset weakness in many sectors. The consensus forecast of Wall Street economists was for retail sales to rise 0.5%. Excluding autos, sales rose 0.3%. Wall Street had expected an increase of 0.7%. Excluding gasoline, sales increased 0.3%. Excluding both autos and gas, sales fell 0.2%, the fourth straight monthly decline.
