August auto slump holds down US retail sales
Sagging sales of autos held down overall US retail sales in August, with American consumers buying goods and services at their slowest pace in six months, government data showed Friday.
However, the Commerce Department said it was unclear to what extent Hurricane Harvey had affected the monthly numbers, with the storm both hurting and helping sales for some retailers.
Meanwhile, internet stores like Amazon saw their largest sales drop in three years.
Total US retail sales sank 0.2 percent compared to July, falling to a seasonally adjusted $474.8 billion. Analysts had expected a modest 0.1 percent increase. The monthly result was still up 3.2 percent over July 2016.
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