2019.07.1608:37:00UTC+00U.S. Retail Sales Climb More Than Expected In June

Retail sales in the U.S. climbed much more than expected in the month of June, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose by 0.4 percent in June, matching the downwardly revised increase in May.

Economists had expected retail sales to inch up by 0.1 percent compared to the 0.5 percent growth originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding a continued increase in auto sales, retail sales still rose by 0.4 percent in June after climbing by a downwardly revised 0.4 percent in May.

Ex-auto sales had also been expected to tick up by 0.1 percent compared to the 0.5 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.