Data released by Statistics Canada just moments ago showed that retail sales fell by -0.6% in September to reach $56.6 billion, after rising by about 2.1% in the August reading, to come in better than expectations that it had
indicated a decline to -1.6%, affected by a decline and a decline in car sales. And spare parts by 1.6%.
Sales fell in seven of the 11 sub-sectors representing 63.5% of retail trade in Canada, declining sales by volume by 1.1% in September.
Core retail sales excluding petrol stations and auto and auto parts retailing declined 0.3% after a 2.8% growth in August. The biggest drop in core retail sales came from apparel and accessories stores by 5.9% in September.
The Canadian dollar is recording gains of about 20 points against the US dollar and is trading at 1.2640 levels, after strong declines of more than 50 points that were before the data was announced, affected by crude declines by more than 3% in the closing session of the week.