Retail sales in the month of December in the U.S. rose 0.5 percent in the month of December, according to Commerce Department data released Tuesday.
The previous two months were adjusted upward. However, the electronics and appliance categories posted a loss of 0.6 percent from the previous month.
The National Retail Federation said Tuesday that in the overall holiday season, retail sales rose 3 percent over last year, which was below expectations.
“For over six months, we’ve been saying that the fiscal cliff and economic uncertainty could impact holiday sales. As the number shows, these issues had a visible impact on consumer spending this holiday season,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said as part of the announcement.
