U.S. Retail Sales Rise Less Than Expected In December

(RTTNews) - The Commerce Department released a report on Thursday showing retail sales in the U.S. increased by less than expected in the month of December.

The report said retail sales rose by 0.4 percent in December after advancing by an upwardly revised 0.8 percent in November.

Economists had expected retail sales to climb by 0.6 percent compared to the 0.7 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding sales by motor vehicles and parts dealers, retail sales still rose by 0.4 percent in December after inching up by 0.2 percent in November. The increase matched economist estimates.