New York, Apr 16 (AP) US shoppers increased their shopping last month, fuelled by a spending spree on big ticket items from gadgets to cars before President Donald Trump's expansive new tariffs started kicking in.

Retail sales rose 1.4% in March, after rising 0.2% in February, according to the Commerce Department. Retail sales fell 1.2% in January, hurt in part by cold weather that kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores.

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Excluding sales at auto dealers, sales only rose 0.5%.

Sales at auto dealers rose 5.3%, while electronics retailers had a 0.8% increase. Sporting goods retailers enjoyed a 2.4% gain.

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But analysts expect sales will start falling off as the slew of tariffs increase costs for companies and many retailers are forced to raise prices, hurting shopper demand.

Consumers' confidence has already taken a hit. And a growing number of retailers and suppliers are halting shipments from China as well as pausing orders as they wait to see where the tariffs settle. In some cases, they are cancelling orders. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)