US retail sales beat market expectations and soared 5.3% in January due to personal stimulus checks, according to figures released Wednesday by the Census Bureau . Analysts expected a 1.1% increase, while the percentage change for December was revised from a 0.7% decline to a 1% fall. In January, retail sales increased 7.4% from the same month last year, totaling $568.2 billion, largely due to stimulus checks. After the US ...