June Retail Numbers Gain 0.2%, Miss Consensus View

U.S. retail and food services in June rose 0.2 percent from May and 4.3 percent from a year earlier according to a report Tuesday from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Wall Street expected a 0.6 percent gain in retail sales. Excluding motor vehicles and parts, spending rose 0.4 percent versus a consensus forecast of 0.5 percent.

Americans spent a total of $439.9 billion in June. Some of the biggest gains over May came in general merchandise stores, up 1.1 percent, and in health and personal care stores, up 0.9 percent.

Non-store retailers, including e-commerce, grew 0.9 percent and was up more than eight percent from a year earlier.

Apparel retail sales grew 0.8 percent, food retailing 0.4 percent and grocery stores 0.1 percent.

Motor vehicle and parts purchases declined 0.3 percent, while building material and garden supply purchases sank one percent.

Two exchange-traded funds focused on retailers' stocks went in opposite directions, albeit slightly, on Tuesday morning.

The SPDR S&P Retail fund (NYSE: XRT) gained 0.07 percent to $85.84, while the Merrill Lynch Retail Holders fund (NYSE: RTH) fell 0.11 percent to $59.93.

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