U.S. retail sales rose 0.8% in September, beating forecasts, but higher gasoline prices drove much of the gain, The Associated Press and Reuters reported, citing the Commerce Department.

Economists had expected a 0.3% rise, according to FactSet, AP reported. Economists polled by Reuters had also forecast 0.3%. Sales rose a revised 1.3% in August, the outlets reported.

Business at gas stations jumped 6.4%, and sales excluding gas stations rose 0.2%, AP reported. Gasoline prices soared 7.1% in September, Reuters reported, citing the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The retail figures are not adjusted for inflation, the outlets noted.

Core retail sales, which exclude autos, gasoline, building materials and food services, edged up 0.1% after surging 1.2% in August, Reuters reported. Economists had forecast a 0.3% gain for that measure.

Restaurant sales rose 1.1%, furniture and home furnishings stores rose 1.3%, and online retailers rose 0.3%, AP reported.

"The large jump in headline retail sales in September was almost entirely due to rising gasoline prices," Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a note, AP reported. Natalie Kotlyar of BDO said "part of this gain is simply higher prices," according to AP.

Reuters said the oil price shock from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is straining consumers, especially those at the lower end of what economists call a K-shaped economy. It cited the Federal Reserve's Beige Book, which said most districts "reported little or no change in overall consumer spending" from late August to early October.

The consumer price index rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, AP reported. The average price for regular gasoline rose to $4.33 a gallon on Thursday, according to AAA, AP said.

What we know: Retail sales rose 0.8% in September, with gas stations accounting for much of the increase.
What we don't: Whether shoppers keep spending into the holiday season; Pearce expects spending to lose momentum.