The U.S. Commerce Department released the retail sales data on Tuesday. The U.S. retail sales decreased 0.1% in February, in line with expectations, after a 0.4% drop in January. January's figure was revised down from a 0.2% increase.

The decrease was mainly driven by a drop in sales at auto dealerships.

Sales at clothing retailers were up 0.9% in February, sales at building material and garden equipment stores increased 1.6%, while sales at auto dealerships slid 0.2%.

Retail sales excluding automobiles declined 0.1% in February, beating expectations for a 0.2% fall, after a 0.4% decrease in January. January's figure was revised down from a 0.1% rise.

Sales at service stations dropped 4.4% in February, while sales at furniture stores fell 0.5%.

These figures could mean that the Fed will likely not raise its interest rate in March as consumers remained cautious.