U.S. consumers boosted their spending in March but showed signs of continued caution despite months of cheaper gasoline and rising confidence, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Sales at retailers and restaurants increased 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted $441.4 billion, the Commerce Department said yesterday. That was the biggest monthly gain in a year, but it was still down from November, when retail sales reached their highest level since the end of the recession. Compared with a year earlier, overall retail sales were up 1.3 percent in March, compared with a year-over-year increase of 4.5 percent in March 2014.
