U.S. retail sales increased a slight 0.2% in November, as strong sales tied to holiday shopping were offset by lower gasoline prices. Excluding gas, however, the Commerce Department said Friday that last month's retail sales rose a healthy 0.5% in a positive sign for economic growth. Retail sales have climbed a solid 5.3% so far this year. In November, non-store retail sales — a category that includes Internet brands such as Amazon — jumped 2.3%. This was a reversal from October when higher gas prices, along with a short-lived bump in auto-buying, had helped propel broader retail sales gains of 1.1%.

Source: Fox News December 14, 2018 13:42 UTC