Retail sales rose 0.4% in September, maintaining momentum from the unrevised August figure, while core retail sales jumped 0.7%. Weekly jobless claims saw a notable drop, falling by 19,000 to 241,000, though continuing claims rose slightly to 1.867 million, indicating some underlying labor market softness. Notably, sales at clothing stores rebounded by 1.5%, providing a positive bump, but other areas painted a more mixed picture. Sales at electronics and appliance stores slumped by 3.3%, and receipts at furniture outlets also fell by 1.4%.