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Retail sales in U.S. declined 1.9% in December

Retail Sales
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Retail sales in the U.S. took an unexpected dive in December as COVID-19 cases surged because of the omicron variant.

Figures released Friday by the Commerce Department show that they dropped 1.9% from November, although economists had forecasted that they only decline by 0.1%.

After four straight months of sales increases, the decline was attributed to several factors, including supply chain disruptions and decades-high inflation.

Total sales from October to December jumped 17.1% from the same period as a year ago.

It was still a good year for retailers, with sales rising 19.3% from last year.