.S. Feb. retail sales up 0.6%, ex-autos flat WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - U.S. retail sales rose 0.6 percent in February after a revised 0.2 percent gain in January, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday. However, all of the gain came from the 2.7 percent rise in auto sales. Excluding autos, sales were flat after soaring a revised 1.2 percent in January. Economists had expected a gain of 0.7 percent in overall sales and a 0.6 percent increase excluding autos, according to a survey conducted by CBS MarketWatch. With the upward revisions to January, total sales were a little stronger than expected, but the mix of sales was unbalanced. With the revisions, core sales excluding autos came in below expectations.
Jobless claims fall 6,000 to 341,000 WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - The number of people filing for unemployment insurance in the latest week fell 6,000 to 341,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The closely watched four-week moving average of initial jobless benefit requests fell 6,750 to 345,750 in the week ended March 6, the lowest 4-week average since the last week of January.
Import prices up 0.4 percent in Feb WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) - Prices for imported goods rose 0.4 percent in February, the fifth consecutive monthly increase, the Labor Department said Thursday. Excluding petroleum, import prices also rose 0.4 percent, the fourth rise in a row. Prices of petroleum, natural gas and other industrial supplies increased 0.2 percent, the fifth consecutive rise but the smallest monthly rise on record, the department said. Prices of U.S. exports increased 0.6 percent, the sixth consecutive monthly increase.
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