By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Retail sales fell in June for the second straight month,
raising new concerns about how much of a slowdown the economy will have to
endure in the second half of this year.
The Commerce Department says retail spending dropped 0.5 percent in June. That
followed an even larger 1.1 percent fall in May. Excluding autos, spending was
down a smaller 0.1 percent in June.
Much of the weakness last month came from the drop in auto sales and a decline
in gasoline prices. Excluding autos and gasoline, sales would have risen a
slight 0.1 percent in June after having plunged 1 percent in May. Still, the
lackluster performance of retail sales over the past two months is prompting
fears that the fledgling recovery is in danger of stalling out.