US retail sales flat in April

US retail sales stagnated in April in a weak start to the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. April's flat reading on retail sales, a key part of consumer spending that drives most of the US economy, was unexpected. Stripping out auto sales, retail sales edged up 0.1 percent in April. Year-over-year, retail sales rose 0.9 percent in April, the weakest growth since October 2009, several months after the economy exited the Great Recession.