Report: Spending on positive trend

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Total retail sales grew 5.5% during the month of January, according to MasterCard Advisors’ "SpendingPulse" report.

The increase underscored that shopping and spending maintained its momentum, following a strong holiday season. The last two months, MasterCard Advisors noted, marked the strongest growth rate for total U.S. retail sales (excluding autos) since April 2010. Additionally, "year-to-year growth for three-month totals stood at 4.9% in January, the highest growth rate since August 2007," MasterCard Advisors reported.

Spending grew in every part of the country, with the best unadjusted year-over results in the South Central and Southeast regions, which posted 9.7% and 7.7% growth, respectively.