Retail Sales, Up for a 4th Month, Rise 0.3% in Sept.

Retailers rang up unexpectedly strong sales in September, the government reported Wednesday, fueling optimism for stronger Christmas-season sales but worrying investors who are hoping for stronger signs that inflation remains in check.

Retail sales rose 0.3% last month to $215.5 billion, the Commerce Department said. It was the fourth straight monthly increase.

Private economists had forecast a slight drop in retail sales for the end of the third quarter. The September increase, along with upward revisions to the numbers for June, July and August, has Federal Reserve Board policymakers on alert for signs of inflation.

The pattern in the seasonally adjusted September sales report was uneven. New-car sales rose for a fourth consecutive month, but September’s 0.6% gain was not nearly as strong as those of the previous three months. Excluding autos, September retail sales rose 0.2%, the same pace as for August.

General-merchandise store and department store sales fell 0.6% in September, after a 0.4% gain in August. Clothing-store sales fell 0.7%, after rising 1.2% in August. The general-merchandise and clothing-store sales declines were the sharpest in five months. Furniture dealers reported a 0.6% increase, the sixth month without a decline. Food store sales rose 1.4%, only their second gain in six months. Sales at restaurants and bars were off 0.4%, after having declined 0.2% in August.

September’s unseasonably warm weather got some of the blame for the weakness in clothing sales.

“The stores were all set up for winter clothing, and people aren’t in the mood for buying winter clothing when it’s like summer outside,” said economist James Glassman of Chase Securities Inc.