Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:17:05 GMT
Australia's retail sales dropped in December
Retail sales in Australia unexpectedly slumped in December, making the first decline in 6 months as consumption on dining out and at grocers weakened. Australia retail sales fell 0.1% on a monthly basis, said Sydney Bureau of Statistics. Economists earlier predicted an increase of 0.2%. After report analysts expect a further benchmark interest rate reduction from Reserve Bank of Australia.