US retail sales up 0.5% in February

US retail sales up 0.5% in February

US retail sales rose 0.5% in February 2005, below market expectations of 0.7%, a US Commerce Department release discloses. The release notes, however, that sales in January and December had been revised 0.8 percentage points higher. Purchases of electronics, clothing, gasoline and food led the February increase in sales., Motor vehicle sales surprisingly went up 0.7% in February. Retail sales represent about half of US consumer spending and about a third of gross domestic product.