Americans pulled back from the malls in April, spending less in retail outlets than they did in March. The dip comes after three straight month-to-month gains in the retail spending figures, released
by MasterCard Advisors, reports AP. The economy remains on uncertain ground, according to Kamalesh Rao, director of economic research for SpendingPulse. Including goods from food to clothing to
gasoline - but excluding cars - U.S. retail sales fell 2% last month from March, according to SpendingPulse, which estimates spending in all forms including cash. That month-to-month decline followed
a 1.4% increase in March, a 1.9% gain in February and 2.8% increase in January.
