U.S. Retail Sales Climb Slightly More Than Expected In October

(RTTNews) - Partly reflecting a jump in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, the Commerce Department released a report on Friday showing retail sales in the U.S. increased by slightly more than expected in the month of October.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose by 0.4 percent in October after growing by an upwardly revised 0.8 percent in September.

Economists had expected retail sales to climb by 0.3 percent compared to the 0.4 percent increase originally reported for the previous month.

Excluding the surge in sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales inched up by 0.1 percent in October after jumping by 1.0 percent in September. Ex-auto sales were expected to rise by 0.3 percent.