Retail Sales Decline 0.6% in February

Retail sales fell 0.6% in February, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

The decline followed a 0.4% gain in January and was in contrast to the 0.2% increase forecast by economists, Bloomberg reported.

Sales excluding automobiles fell 0.2%. Auto sales at dealerships and parts stores fell 1.9%, the most since June.

Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.