Mark Cohen

I'm Kristen Schwab for Marketplace.

0.6% might not sound like a lot, but Lauren Seidel Baker at ITR Economics says an increase is fairly good news.

That trajectory is looking relatively good, says the National Retail Federation's Mark Matthews.

He says the sales data and projected Easter spending show that consumers continue to be the shining star of the economy.

For now, Miller says the companies he's working with are continuing to focus on pricing and promotions and convincing consumers it's still worth spending with them.

I'm Carla Javier from Marketplace.