11.03.201908:37:00UTC+00U.S. Retail Sales Unexpectedly Rise 0.2% In January

A report released by the Commerce Department on Monday showed a modest increase in U.S. retail sales in the month of January.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose by 0.2 percent in January after tumbling by a revised 1.6 percent in December.

Economists had expected retail sales to come in unchanged compared to the 1.2 percent slump originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding a steep drop in auto sales, retail sales climbed by 0.9 percent in January after plummeting by a revised 2.1 percent in December.

Ex-auto sales had been expected to increase by 0.3 percent compared to the 1.8 percent plunge originally reported for the previous month.