US retail sales increased for a fifth consecutive month in June, rising 0.2 percent to 768.6 billion dollars. The modest gain matched expectations but represented a slowdown from the prior month.
According to the Census Bureau's Advance Retail Sales Report, headline sales advanced 0.2 percent in June after rising 1.0 percent in May.
Core retail sales declined 0.2 percent, marking the first drop in more than a year. Control purchases, a key measure of underlying demand, rose 0.5 percent for the sixth month in a row.
The data reflect continued but moderating consumer spending amid broader economic conditions.
