Retail sales rose 0.4 percent on the month in April which, however, follows a downwardly revised 2.6 percent drop in March. Year-over-year, sales were down 0.6 percent in April versus downwardly revised 1.4 percent contraction in March. In a plus, April sales of consumer durables rebounded 1.9 percent on the year following March's 0.6 percent fall.

Trends for this report are lumpy, bouncing back and forth across the zero line, whether monthly or yearly.

Retail Sales measure the total receipts at stores that sell durable and nondurable goods. The data are part of the Monthly Industrial Statistics report.

With consumer spending a large part of the economy, market players continually monitor spending patterns. The pattern in consumer spending is often the foremost influence on stock and bond markets. For stocks, strong economic growth translates to healthy corporate profits and higher stock prices. For bonds, the focus is whether economic growth goes overboard and leads to inflation. Ideally, the economy walks that fine line between strong growth and excessive (inflationary) growth.

Retail sales not only give you a sense of the overall picture, but also the trends among different types of retailers. Especially strong apparel or electronics sales can indicate strength in those industries, for example. These trends from the retail sales data can help you spot specific investment opportunities, without having to wait for a company's quarterly or annual report.