Prior was -0.4%Ex autos +0.8% vs +1.2% expectedPrior ex autos +0.1% (revised to 0.0%)Advance February sales +0.9%Sales hit $70.7 billion in JanuarySales ex autos and gas +0.9%
The advance reading tends to be the better signal in this report and the number for February is strong. As for January, vehicles rose 2.0% led by new car dealers. In terms of the core, general merchandise retailers (+3.0%) rose for a fourth month while food and beverage retailers fell 0.6%. Ecommerce sales rose 1.5%.
This article was written by Adam Button at investinglive.com.