Retail sales show solid increase in September

Retail sales increased more than expected in September as the U.S. economy continued to show signs of growth in the third quarter.The Commerce Department's Census Bureau said that retail sales rose 0.4% last month after an unrevised gain of 0.1% in August. Economists polled by LSEG had forecast that retail sales would rise 0.3%. Estimates ranged from no change to an increase of 0.8%.Retail sales excluding automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services rose 0.5% in September aft