News In Brief

US retail sales dipped slightly in September UPI Chart of Retail Sales

Despite a rebound in new-car buying, sales by US retailers dipped 0.1 percent in October as overall economic growth remained sluggish, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. It said sales slipped to a seasonally adjusted $107.7 billion, compared with $107.9 billion in September.

Consumer spending has been markedly weaker in recent months, with sales setbacks posted in three of the last four months. Only September has shown an increase, but the 1.2 percent gain was not enough to offset declines in other months.