Retail Sales 'strong' & Jobs are weak

Retail sales for May grew 1%, or 0.8% minus gas.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080612/usa_economy_retail.html

It's still positive, but when you consider that
1. We just threw $50B into consumer pockets
2. Food inflation surged in May
3. Promotions to boost sales will hurt margins

I'd say that this growth is actually a negative.
But it was above expectations of 0.5%, so everyone is happy.

Meanwhile, jobless claims rose more than expected.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080612/jobless_claims.html