U.S. Retail Sales Climb More Than Expected In November

(RTTNews) - Retail sales in the U.S. increased by more than expected in the month of November, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, with auto sales once again leading the way higher.

The report said retail sales grew by 0.7 percent in November after climbing by an upwardly revised 0.5 percent in October.

Economists had expected retail sales to rise by 0.5 percent compared to the 0.4 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding a jump in sales by motor vehicles and parts dealers, retail sales edged up by 0.2 percent in November, matching the revised growth in the previous month.

Ex-auto sales were expected to climb by 0.4 percent compared to the 0.1 percent uptick originally reported for the previous month.