WASHINGTON — Retail sales climbed 0.2% to $424.5 billion in July after rising a revised 0.6% in June, originally reported as a 0.4% increase, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.
July sales fell short of the median 0.3% increase projected by economists polled by Thomson Reuters.
Excluding autos, retail sales rose 0.5% in July after a 0.1% uptick the previous month. Economists had projected a 0.4% increase in retail sales minus autos.
Excluding both autos and gas, retail sales rose 0.4% in July after staying flat the previous month.
