US retail sales rose 0.7% mom to USD 618.7B in August, much better than expectation of -0.7% decline. Ex-auto sales rose 1.80% mom, versus expectation of -0.1% decline. Ex-gasoline sales rose 0.8% mom. Ex-auto, ex-gasoline sales rose 2.0% mom. Total sales for the June 2021 through August 2021 period were up 16.3% from the same period a year ago
