Provided by Dow Jones By Harriet Torry U.S. shoppers sharply increased spending in January, buoyed by stimulus payments that many households received in the most recent virus-relief package. Retail sales, a measure of purchases at stores, at restaurants and online, rose by a seasonally adjusted 5.3% in January from a month earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. The increase followed three months of decline during the holiday season. It was the strongest gain since last June, when the economy was in the process of reopening from pandemic-related closure...