Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales barely rose in August as consumers slowed their spending after a robust month of shopping in July.

The Commerce Department said Friday that the value of purchases ticked up just 0.1 percent last month, the smallest increase in six months. But the sluggish figure may prove only a temporary blip. It partly reflected falling prices for items like clothing, and it followed a strong gain of 0.7 percent in July.

Consumer confidence soared to its highest level in 18 years in August as Americans expressed a more optimistic outlook on the economy. That suggests that...