WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. retail sales dropped by 0.7 percent in December, marking the third monthly decline in a row, as the country struggles to cope with COVID-19 surge, the Commerce Department reported on Friday.
Excluding motor vehicles, parts and gasoline stations, retail sales fell by 2.1 percent in December from the previous month.
"U.S. retail sales declined more than we anticipated in December, and that cut into our high-frequency GDP model's estimate of fourth-quarter GDP," said Ryan Sweet, a senior director at Moody's Analytics.
Sweet noted that, similar to the December employment report, COVID-19 "left its mark all over retail sales."
Sales at food services and drinking places, for example, dropped 4.5 percent in December after falling 3.6 percent in November, he said.
Nonstore retail sales dropped 5.8 percent in December after falling 1.6 percent in November, he said, adding that it was surprising to see declines in sales at grocery stores.
Despite the recent decline, total sales for the October-December period were up 4.0 percent from the same period a year ago, the report showed. Total sales for the 12 months of 2020 were up 0.6 percent from 2019. Enditem
