Costco reports 13% September sales growth

Costco reported net sales of $30.02 billion for the five weeks ended October 4, up 13.0% year over year. Comparable sales rose 11.4% overall, or 7.6% excluding gasoline-price and foreign-exchange effects; the company said the later Labor Day timing added a little more than 50 basis points to September sales.

Why it matters. The results provide a timely measure of sales momentum at a major U.S. retailer and consumer demand across its markets.