Retail sales barely rose in January as tax increases and higher gasoline prices restrained spending, suggesting a slowdown in the pace of consumer spending early in the first quarter.
The Commerce Department said on Wednesday retail sales edged up 0.1 percent after an unrevised 0.5 percent rise in December.
In a separate government report, import prices rose 0.6 percent, while export prices increased 0.3 percent. Economists in a Reuters survey forecast a 0.7 percent rise in import prices in January, and a 0.3 percent increase in exports. In December, both import and export prices fell 0.1 percent.