por admin » Vie Mar 11, 2011 8:45 am
Las ventas retail en US suben a su ritmo mas rapido en cuatro meses, subieron 1% a $387.12 billones. Se esperaba 1.2%, las ventas de Enero fueron revisadas al alza.
Sin autos subio 0.7% en linea con lo esperado.
U.S. Retail Sales Climb
By JEFF BATER And ANDREW ACKERMAN
U.S. retail sales climbed at the fastest rate in four months during February, increasing by 1.0% from the previous month to $387.12 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires expected a 1.2% increase in February.
While the gain in sales was less than expected, it was still the strongest since October.
In the report, sales for January were revised up, to an increase of 0.7% from a previously estimated 0.3%.
The retail sales report is watched closely by Wall Street because it is an important indicator of consumer spending.
The spending of Americans makes up 70% of demand in the U.S. economy. Americans were restrained in their spending as the economy recovered from recession. They paid down debt and added to savings.
Yet at the end of 2010 they started opening their wallets wider, with consumer spending rising at the fastest pace in four years, government data showed.
Data on the economy's performance so far this year have been mixed. The Federal Reserve this week said credit-use fell in January, the 28th drop in 29 months. But last week, the Labor Department reported the unemployment rate, while still high, dropped below the 9.0% mark for the first time since April 2009.
Slow improvement in the labor market coupled with the government's extension of income-tax reductions could spur spending as 2011 unfolds, giving the economy more speed.
Fed officials recently upgraded its forecast for economic growth in 2011, predicting gross domestic product will increase between 3.4% and 3.9% this year. The unemployment rate is expected to hover between 8.8% and 9% for the end of 2011.
The retail sales data showed auto and parts sales surged by 2.3% in February, after rising 1.2% during January. Excluding autos, retail sales last month climbed 0.7%, which was in line with expectations. Ex-auto sales in January had gone up 0.6%.
The value of February gasoline station sales rose by 1.4% amid higher oil prices.
Excluding volatile auto and gasoline components, retail and food sales rose 0.6% in February, the biggest gain in four months.
Sales last month of electronics and appliance stores, food and beverage stores, general merchandise stores, and sporting goods, hobby, book, and music stores rose.
Non-store retailers, which includes Internet sellers, fell, as did health and personal-care stores.
Businesses related to the housing industry were mixed. Building material and garden equipment dealer sales climbed but furniture store sales tumbled.