US retail sales rise less than expected in September

By Mucahithan Avcioglu

ISTANBUL (AA)— Retail trade in the US was up 0.2% month-on-month in September, following an increase of 0.6% in August, according to US Census Bureau data released Friday.

This was the smallest gain in four months, following a 0.6% rise in August, and below forecasts of a 0.4% increase.

The total trade volume amounted to $733.3 billion, the data showed.

The biggest rises were seen in sales at the miscellaneous store retailers (2.9%) and gasoline stations (2%).

Sales at the health & personal care stores (1.1%), food services & drinking places (0.7%), and furniture stores (0.6%) also saw increases in September.

However, sales at the sporting goods, hobby, musical instrument, & book stores decreased 2.5%, clothing fell 0.7%, and nonstore retailers dropped 0.7%.

Sales that are used to compute GDP, which do not include food services, car dealers, construction material stores, and petrol stations, fell 0.1% in September after a 0.6% growth in August.

On an annual basis, retail sales rose 4.3% in September.