US consumption is showing slight signs of weakness. Retail sales fell in May for the first time since December. Revenue fell 0.3 percent from the previous month, the Department of Commerce said in Washington on Wednesday. Analysts had expected a slight increase of 0.1 percent on average. The increase in the previous month was revised from 0.9 to 0.7 percent.
Excluding the often fluctuating earnings from car sales, sales in May rose by 0.5 percent. An increase of 0.7 percent had been expected here. In this definition, too, the previous month’s growth was revised downwards. Retailer sales are used as a guideline for the strength of consumption, which is particularly important for economic development in the USA. (dpa)