14.02.202012:36:00UTC+00U.S. Retail Sales Rise In Line With Estimates In January

Retail sales in the U.S. increased in line with economist estimates in the month of January, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Friday.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose by 0.3 percent in January after edging up by a downwardly revised 0.2 percent in December.

Economists had expected retail sales to climb by 0.3 percent, matching the increase originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding sales by motor vehicles and parts dealers, retail sales still rose by 0.3 percent in January after climbing by 0.6 percent in December. Ex-auto sales were also expected to increase by 0.3 percent.