Retail sales in the U.S. unexpectedly crept higher in the month of August, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.
The Commerce Department said retail sales inched up by 0.1 percent in August after surging by an upwardly revised 1.1 percent in July.
The uptick surprised economists, who had expected retail sales to dip by 0.2 percent compared to the 1.0 percent jump originally reported for the previous month.
Excluding a slight pullback by sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales still crept up by 0.1 percent in August after climbing by 0.4 percent in July. Ex-auto sales were expected to rise by 0.2 percent.