U.S. Retail Sales Fall After Weaker Results in Prior Months

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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An unexpected decline in August retail sales and downward revisions to the prior two months mainly reflected weaker results at auto dealerships, Commerce Department figures showed Friday.

The latest results make it more likely that consumption, the biggest part of the economy, will be hard-pressed to match the 3.3 percent growth pace of the prior quarter.