Washington, DC, Jan. 15--Retail sales rose 0.5% in December, the second straight month of gains, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
Sales got a boost from a 1.6% rise in demand for motor vehicles and parts dealers. Excluding auto-related buying, overall retail sales would have gone up by 0.1%. Without gasoline and auto sales, retail sales would have climbed by 0.2%.
Economists had expected a 0.8% rise in overall sales, and a 0.4% gain excluding the auto component, according to a survey by Dow Jones and CNBC.
