The US Commerce Department said US retail sales rose 0.8% to $403.9 billion in July, following three straight monthly declines. It marked the biggest gain in sales since February. Compared with July 2011, sales are up 4.1%. Sales fell a downwardly revised 0.7% in June, compared with a 0.5% decrease originally reported. The sales are seasonally adjusted, but they aren’t adjusted for price changes. The pickup in July’s sales easily beat expectations, as analysts had predicted modest sales grow...