US retail sales rise unexpectedly despite blizzards

US retail sales rose a better-than-expected 0.5 percent in January, official data showed Friday in a report suggesting that consumer spending key to economic recovery is gaining momentum.The Commerce Department reported that seasonally adjusted retail sales totaled 355.8 billion dollars in January, a half percentage point higher than in December and 4.7 percent higher than the year-ago level.The increase in retail and food-service sales was better than the 0.3 percent expected by most analysts.

US retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, government data showed Thursday in a disappointing reading on the economically important holiday shopping season.The Commerce Department said adjusted retail sales were 353.0 billion dollars, a decline of 0.3 percent from November, instead of the consensus analyst forecast of a rise of 0.5 percent."Retail sales unexpectedly fell in December on broad-based weakness, suggesting holiday spending did not live up to early reports," said Scott Hoyt at Moody's Economy.com.

US retail sales fell more than expected in June for a second straight month, the government said Wednesday, reflecting a slowing economy.Sales declined 0.5 percent from May to 360.2 billion dollars, according to the Commerce Department.Most economists had expected sales to decline by 0.2 percent from a larger, revised 1.1 percent fall in May.Consumer spending is a key engine of growth for the world's largest economy recovering from a brutal recession.

US industrial production inched up 0.1 percent in February, grinding to a near-halt amid severe snow storms that crippled large parts of the East Coast, Federal Reserve data showed Monday.The small rise in industrial output after a 0.9 percent increase in January was better than the zero percent reading most analyst expected for February when blizzards pummeled large areas of the country.."Production was likely held down somewhat by winter storms in the Northeast," the central bank said.

Retail sales in recession-hit Britain fell unexpectedly in November for the first time in six months, dropping by 0.3 percent compared with October, official data showed on Thursday.Analysts' consensus forecast had been for a month-on-month climb of 0.6 percent in retail sales during the traditional busy pre-Christmas shopping season, according to Dow Jones Newswires.Sales meanwhile jumped by 3.1 percent last month compared with November 2008, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement. However analysts had forecast a bigger rise of 3.7 percent.

US retail spending jumped 1.3 percent in November led by auto and electronics sales, government data showed Friday in a positive economic sign amid the critical holiday shopping period.The Commerce Department report, seen as a key to renewed economic growth, was much stronger than analyst expectations for a 0.6 percent rise.Some special factors pushed up sales, including a 6.0 percent rise in gasoline sales, a figure affected by higher prices. But electronics sales rose 2.8 percent and auto sector sales 1.6 percent.

US retail sales, a key growth driver, rebounded in July after two months of decline, the government said Friday, even as Americans still grip tight to their wallets amid a slowing recovery.Retail sales rose 0.4 percent from June to 362.7 billion dollars on the back of strong auto sales, the Commerce Department said.The July figure was slightly lower than the 0.5 percent rise expected by most economists but it was the first rise in three months after declines of 0.3 percent and 1.0 percent in June and May respectively.