Friday brought a little bit of good news for investors: Sales at U.S. retailers and restaurants grew at the fastest pace in more than a year during April. That was a positive development after a sluggish few months in 2016, and the result was ahead of expectations. Retail sales jumped 1.3% in April, sequentially from March, to $454 billion according to the Commerce Department. That 1.3% jump was a solid 50 basis points ahead of average estimates of a 0.8% gain.