Retailers face a competitive back-to-school shopping season
Sharp decline mainly a result of strike by Toronto civic workers
Back-to-school spending on par with last year
Consumer confidence rebounds in August
Retail sales have risen in five of the last six months
First increase in nine months
Drop in gasoline prices offsets growth in food prices
Aerospace industry sales boomerang
New home prices slip
Clearer signals of troughs have emerged in Canada, Germany, Britain and the U.S.