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Retail sales in the U.S. increased by slightly less than expected in the month of December, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday.
The Commerce Department said retail sales climbed by 0.6 percent in December after edging up by a revised 0.2 percent in November.
Economists had expected retail sales to advance by 0.7 percent compared to the 0.1 percent uptick originally reported for the previous month.
Excluding auto sales, retail sales inched up by 0.2 percent in December after rising by 0.3 percent in November. Ex-auto sales had been expected to climb by 0.5 percent.
