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Retail sales rose 1.1% in March by the most since September 2012, helping the economy recover from a weather-depressed start to the year, the Commerce Department reported April 14.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment climbed to 82.6 in April, the highest level since July, from a four-month low of 80 in March.

Producer prices in the United States rose 0.5% in March, the biggest gain since June, the Labor Department reported April 11.

The average price for regular gasoline at U.S. pumps rose 4.9 cents in the past two weeks to $3.6065 a gallon, the highest since July 26, according to Lundberg Survey Inc.

The U.S. trade deficit widened 7.7% in February to the highest level in five months as exports of fuels and capital equipment dropped, the Commerce Department reported April 3.

Companies boosted payrolls in March by the most in three months, adding to evidence the job market is recovering from a blast of harsh winter weather, a private payrolls report showed.

Caterpillar Inc. avoided paying $2.4 billion in U.S. taxes by shifting profits from a parts business to a subsidiary in Switzerland, according to a report released by a Senate investigative committee.

The Institute for Supply Management’s index increased to 53.7 in March from 53.2 a month earlier, the Tempe, Ariz.-based group reported April 1. Readings above 50 indicate growth.