In the US, retail sales rose significantly more than expected in January. The Department of Commerce said on Wednesday in Washington that sales were up 3.8 percent from the previous month. Experts had only expected an average increase of 2.0 percent.
However, the decline was revised to 2.5 percent in December after only a minus of 1.9 percent had been determined.
Excluding the frequently fluctuating proceeds from car sales, sales rose by 3.3 percent. An increase of 1.0 percent had been expected here.
The robust labor market supported demand for consumer durables such as cars and furniture. The burden on trade caused by the spread of the Omicron variant was apparently overcompensated for in this way. (dpa)
