U.S. retail sales gain as stores reopen

WASHINGTON — Retail sales in the U.S. climbed by a 7.5 percent in June as businesses resumed activity, according to data from the U.S. Commerce Department. The gains followed on an 18.2 percent upwardly revised leap in May, the largest since the government began collecting the data in 1992. It also exceeded estimates of a five percent increase from economists polled by Reuters. Ten out of 13 categories logged increases, including electronics and appliances, which surged by 37.4 percent, and furniture.