Retail Sales Unexpectedly Dip 0.1% in June

.S. retail sales fell unexpectedly in June, declining 0.1%, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

ales fell to $363.8 billion, but rose rising 0.3% excluding automobile sales, Commerce said.

The dip followed a 0.1% rise in May. Economists had forecast June sales to climb 0.4%, Bloomberg reported.

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

Retail sales account for almost half of all consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the economy.