Canada's retail sales rose 0.6% month over month in June to C$74.28 billion, or about US$54.08 billion, exceeding the 0.4% average analyst expectation. The increase extended six consecutive months of rising purchases and was driven by gains across seven of nine subsectors, particularly clothing and general merchandise stores. Retail sales volumes increased 1.5%, while Statistics Canada’s advance estimate pointed to a 0.8% decline in July. Retail sales, which include purchases of cars, furniture, food and gasoline, are an early indicator of gross domestic product growth and account for about 40% of consumer spending.