01.04.201908:38:00UTC+00U.S. Retail Sales Unexpectedly Slip 0.2% In February

The Commerce Department released a report on Monday unexpectedly showing a modest decrease in U.S. retail sales in the month of February following a significantly upwardly revised increase in sales in the previous month.

The report said retail sales dipped by 0.2 percent in February after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.7 percent in January.

Economists had expected sales to rise by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.2 percent uptick originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding a rebound in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales fell by 0.4 percent in February after jumping by a revised 1.4 percent in January.

Ex-auto sales had been expected to climb by 0.4 percent compared to the 0.9 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.