Retail sales in July rose 0.5% from the prior month, a rise that was slightly below Wall Street forecasts but a sign the consumer continues to steady the ship after a dramatic drop in spending this spring.

Economists had expected retail sales to rise 0.6% from the prior month in July, according to data from Bloomberg.

Excluding autos and gas, retail sales rose 0.2% last month.

Friday's report marks the second-straight month retail sales rose after two months of declines in May and April, with May's 0.9% heightening fears over the health of the US consumer.

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