US retail sales came in well ahead of expectations for the month of January, according to new data from the Commerce Department.
Retail sales registered a 0.4% gain, well above the 0.1% jump for the month expected by economists.
Additionally, December retail sales were revised up significantly, to 1% growth from the original estimate of 0.6% growth.
A large help came from gasoline sales as prices continue to increase from the oil crash. Gasoline sales jumped 2.3% in January from December and are up 14.2% from the same month in 2016.
Additionally, core retail sales – which do not include auto sales – jumped by 0.8% in January, well above the 0.4% growth expected by economists.
Non-store retailers - which includes online shopping - also showed continued annual growth in January, growing by 12.0% from the same month a year before, but not budging from December.
Retail sales excluding both autos and gasoline also climbed well past expectations, up by 0.7% this month versus a projected gain of 0.3%.