By Robert Hughes
Retail sales and food services spending rose 0.3 percent in January following a 0.2 percent gain in December. Over the past year, total retail sales and food services were up 4.4 percent through January.
Excluding the volatile energy category, retail sales and food services excluding gasoline were also up 0.3 percent in January after being unchanged in December. From a year ago, retail sales and food services excluding gasoline were up 3.9 percent.
Excluding both motor vehicles and gasoline, core retail sales and food services were up 0.4 percent in January after