Sales in American retail trade fell by 0.9 percent in January compared to the previous month. This was significantly more than economists' average forecast of minus 0.2 percent. In December, sales rose by 0.7 percent, according to revised figures.
Adjusted for cars and fuel, sales fell by 0.5 percent, compared to an expected increase of 0.3 percent.
Household consumption accounts for a large part of the American aggregate economy, GDP, and is thus an important measure of the temperature of the economy.
The dollar lost value as an effect of the statistics.
