Retail sales declined in April

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Overall retail sales declined in April thanks to weakness at car dealers, the government reported Tuesday.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that total retail sales fell 0.2 percent last month, compared to a 0.2 percent increase in March. The report was in line with a consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

Stripping out volatile auto sales, retail sales rose 0.5 percent in April. That was well above the 0.2 percent increase expected by analysts and just ahead of the upwardly revised 0.4 percent gain posted in March.