Consumer spending was stronger than expected in March as demand remained high despite declining sentiment, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

The advanced estimate of retail sales showed an increase of 1.4% on the month, better than the 1.2% Dow Jones estimate and higher than the 0.2% increase in February.

Excluding autos, the numbers also were strong than expected, with sales up 0.5% compared to the 0.3% forecast.

The reading points to spending holding strong despite the crosscurrents of looming tariffs and expectations that the economy is weakening.

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