The Commerce Department announced on Friday the sales at U.S. retailers rose 0.3 percent m-o-m in January 2020, following a revised 0.2 percent m-o-m advance in December 2019 (originally a 0.3 percent m-o-m gain).

Economists had expected total sales would increase 0.3 percent m-o-m in January.

Excluding auto, retail sales also rose 0.3 percent m-o-m in January after a revised 0.6 percent m-o-m climb in the previous month (originally a 0.7 percent m-o-m surge), matching economists' forecast for a 0.3 percent m-o-m gain.

Meanwhile, closely watched core retail sales, which exclude automobiles, gasoline, building materials and food services, and are used in GDP calculations, were flat m-o-m in January after a downwardly revised 0.2 percent m-o-m rise in December.

In y-o-y terms, the U.S. retail sales surged 4.4 percent in January, following a revised 5.5 jump in the previous month (originally a 5.8 percent increase).