U.K. Retail Sales Unexpectedly Increased in January: Economy

U.K. retail sales unexpectedly rose for a second month in January, adding to signs the economy may strengthen in the current quarter and avoid a recession.

Sales including fuel rose 0.9 percent from December, when they rose 0.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics said today in London. Economists forecast a 0.3 percent decline, according to the median of 20 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. The deflator, a measure of annual price increases, dropped to the lowest in more than two years last month.