US retail sales rose modestly for the third month in a row in January despite falling petrol prices, the Commerce Department said today.
US shoppers spent 0.2% more on retail and food services, following an upwardly revised 0.2% increase in December.
Retail sales totaled $449.9 billion in January, up 3.4% from a year ago, according to the data that is not adjusted for price changes.
The January and December growth numbers suggested that consumer spending may not be as weak as thought, especially given the lack of inflation, analysts said.
The January data showed a 3.1% drop in petrol sales at the pump.
Car sales rose 0.6%, but excluding cars, retail sales were up a weak 0.1%.
Sales in general merchandise stores rose 0.8%, almost wiping out December's decline, but department stores saw sales fall 0.8%.
Online retailers rang up a 1.6% gain in January, when severe snowstorms blanketed the populous Northeast for a few weeks.
The retail sales data offer a gauge on the health of consumer spending, the main driver of the US economy, and analysts said that the January report looked like a solid start for the first quarter of the year.
