Motor vehicle and parts dealer sales increased 0.2% after declining 1.7% in December.
Gasoline station sales were down 0.5% after increasing 0.4% in December.
Clothing and clothing accessories sales declined 3.1% after a large 2.7% increase in December.
Food services and drinking places sales rose 1.2% for the second straight month.
The key takeaway from the report is that discretionary spending was modest in January, which will contribute to a sense that Q1 GDP growth was apt to be modest even without any impact from the coronavirus.| JAN | DEC | NOV | OCT | SEP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | -0.4% |
| Excluding Autos | 0.3% | 0.6% | -0.2% | 0.2% | -0.2% |
| Durable goods | |||||
| Building Materials | 2.1% | 1.3% | 0.3% | 0.0% | -1.7% |
| Autos/parts | 0.2% | -1.7% | 1.6% | 1.1% | -1.1% |
| Furniture | 0.6% | -1.6% | 0.0% | -0.7% | 1.1% |
| Nondurable goods | |||||
| General Merchandise | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | 0.4% | -0.9% |
| Food | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.1% | -0.8% |
| Gasoline stations | -0.5% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 2.0% | -0.1% |
| Clothing | -3.1% | 2.7% | -0.1% | -0.2% | 0.1% |
| e*retailing/non-store | 0.3% | -0.1% | -0.4% | -0.7% | -0.1% |
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