Retail sales rose 1.2% M/M in August to $74.6B on equal growth in volumes, resuming its upward trajectory…

… driven mainly by strength in Ontario and BC, with Toronto and Vancouver rising 4% and 2% respectively - reversing losses from last month.

At the category level, sales were up in all sectors - led by automotive gains (+1.2%), as new car sales more than offset a pullback at used car dealers…

… which helped discretionary wallet share hold steady at 77% for the third month straight. While new car sales are generally a sign of confidence…

… and preliminary estimates call for another 0.7% bump to retail sales in September, we’ll be watching the breakdown to assess the durability of consumer spending from here.

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