WASHINGTON — Retail sales were up 0.1% in January after rising a revised 0.5% in December, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.
The January gain was on target with the 0.1% median increase projected by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.
On a year-over-year unadjusted basis, retail sales were up 4.4%.
Excluding autos, retail sales were up 0.2% in January after rising a revised 0.3% in December.
The January gain was higher than the median estimate of a 0.1% increase projected by economists.
Excluding autos and gas, retail sales were up 0.2% in January following a revised 0.7% increase the previous month.