Consumers flocked to spend their stimulus checks in January, sending retail sales for the month up 5.3% in a blockbuster start to 2021, according to a government report Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones were expecting a rise of just 1.2%. A month after Congress approved a $900 billion additional stimulus package on top of the $2.2 trillion approved earlier in 2020, shoppers were armed with $600 checks they used to buy a variety of goods. The jump in consumer spending came at a time when expectations for growth in the early part of 2021 were muted as the economy continued to shake off the pandemic-induced ... (full story)