UK Retail Sales climb 0.4% MoM in December vs. -0.1% expected

The United Kingdom (UK) Retail Sales rose 0.4% month-over-month (MoM) in December after falling 0.1% in November, according to the latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Friday.

Markets projected a decrease of 0.1% in the reported month.

The core Retail Sales, stripping the auto motor fuel sales, increased 0.3% MoM in December, compared with the previous decline of 0.4% (revised from -0.2%). This figure came in above the market consensus of a 0.2% drop.

The annual Retail Sales in the UK climbed 2.5% in December versus 1.8% prior (revised from 0.6%), above the consensus of 1.0%. The annual core Retail Sales jumped 3.1% in the same month versus a 2.6% rise prior (revised from 1.2%). This reading came in better than the market expectations of 1.4%.