US producer prices unemployment claims fallretail sales increase

U.S. retails sales rose, whereas producer prices fell in November while jobless claims dropped to a nine-week low last week, official data showed here Thursday. The Department of Commerce indicated that U.S. retail and food services sales for November were USD 412.4 billion, an increase of 0.3 percent from the previous month and 3.7 percent above November 2011. It added that total sales for the September through November 2012 period were up 4.3 percent from the same period a year ago. Retail trade sales were up 0.2 percent from October 2012 and 3.4 percent above last year, whereas non-store retailers were up 11.1 percent from November 2011. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor indicated that the Producer Price Index for finished goods fell 0.8 percent in November. Prices for finished goods decreased 0.2 percent in October and rose 1.1 percent in September. On an unadjusted basis, the finished goods index advanced 1.5 percent for the 12 months ended November 2012, the smallest increase since a 0.5 percent rise for the 12 months ended July 2012. In a separate report, the Department of Labor showed that in the week ending December 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 343,000, a decrease of 29,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 372,000. It noted that the four-week moving average was 381,500, a decrease of 27, 000 from the previous week's revised average of 408,500.