- Anthony Karydakis, Miller Tabak
US retail sales rose more than expected last month, official data revealed on Friday. According to the US Department of Commerce, retail sales grew 0.6% month-over-month in September, in line with analysts; expectations, whereas the preceding month's figure was revised up to -0.2% from the originally reported reading of -0.3%. On an annual basis, retail sales rose 2.7% in the reported month. Excluding automobiles, building materials, food services and gasoline, retail sales advanced 0.5% in September, following August's upwardly revised drop of 0.2% and surpassing the 0.4% rise forecast. The September growth was mainly driven by sales of automobiles, which rose 1.1% in September after falling 0.3% in August.
Other data released by the Department of Labor on the same day showed the Producer Price Index climbed 0.3% in September, compared to last month's 0.0%, while analysts anticipated an increase of 0.2% during the reported period. Year-over-year, the PPI jumped 0.7%, posting the biggest increase since December 2014. Currently, The Atlanta Fed is expecting the US economy to expand at an annualized pace of 2.1% in the Q4 after growing 1.4% in the Q3.
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