WASHINGTON — Consumers went out shopping in a big way in July, pushing up retail sales by the largest amount in seven months.
Retail sales advanced 0.6 percent last month, the best showing since a gain of 0.9 percent last December, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. For most of this year, retail sales have been lackluster, including a decline in May of 0.2 percent and a modest 0.3 percent June gain.
Consumer spending accounts for around 70 percent of economic activity, so the latest result is…
