October Sales

(AP) - U.S. retail sales figures from a key data service show signs of a rebound in October from last year’s plunge.
SpendingPulse, a service of MasterCard Advisors, reports that categories including jewelry and apparel posted gains in October compared with a year earlier.
Michael McNamara, vice president at SpendingPulse notes that discounting, which depresses total sales figures, wasn’t as deep this October as last, and he says more people are coming out to shop in recent weeks than earlier this fall.
But he says October’s sales were lower than two years earlier in many categories, and only a tad higher than October 2005.
The numbers from SpendingPulse come ahead of the release Thursday by major retailers such as Target Corp. and Macy’s Inc. of their October sales at stores open at least a year.