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Consumers spending pulled back sharply in May, weighed by declining gas sales and a looming unease over where the economy is headed, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.
Retail sales declined 0.9%, even more than the 0.6% drop expected from the Dow Jones consensus. The decline reversed a 0.1% loss in April and came at a time of unease over tariffs and geopolitical tensions.
Excluding autos, sales fell 0.3%, also worse than the estimate for a gain of 0.1%.
However, excluding a series of items such as auto dealers, building materials suppliers, gas stations and others, sales increased 0.4%. That reading, known as the control group, is what the department uses when calculating gross domestic product.
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