Retail Sales Edge Up 0.2% in November

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Bruce Andrew Peters for TT

Retail sales improved 0.2% in November, the slowest rate of growth in five months, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

The increase, which followed a revised 0.6% gain in October, fell short of economists’ forecasts of another 0.6% rise, Bloomberg reported.

Electronics and appliance sales rose 2.1%, Bloomberg said.

Automobile sales rose 0.5% following a 0.8% gain in October.



Overall, seven of 13 major retail categories showed increases, Commerce said.

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