--US Feb retail sales -0.2%; ex-automotive sales -0.3%
--US Jan retail sales revised to +1.3% from +0.7%
--US Jan ex-auto retail sales revised to +1.3% from +0.8%
--US Feb durable goods sales unchanged; non-durable sales -0.3%
--US Feb auto sales +0.2%; durable goods ex-autos -0.5%
--US Feb building material sales +1.6%; furniture -1.9%
--US Feb dept store sales +0.5%; food stores +0.3%
--US Feb gas station sales -0.2%; clothing +0.3%

By Simon Kennedy
Washington, March 13 (BridgeNews) - Lackluster demand for a broad range of goods, including automobiles, left U.S. retail sales down 0.2% in February, or 0.3% excluding autos. Analysts had expected February sales to rise 0.4%, or 0.2% ex-autos. However, sales in January, originally reported up 0.7%, are now reported up 1.3%, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
* * * Defying expectations, automotive sales rose just 0.2% in February, after a revised 1.3% surge in January. Combined with a 1.9% drop in demand for furniture and a 1.6% rise in sales of building materials, February durable goods sales were flat for the month. Excluding automobiles, durable goods sales were down 0.5%.
Meanwhile, the larger non-durable sector saw sales fall 0.3% as gas stations reported a 0.2% drop in sales and eating and drinking establishments reported a 1.5% drop. But department store sales enjoyed a 0.5% increase, while sales of food and apparel both rose 0.3%.
The February decline in retail sales, the first since November, all but guarantees a further half-point cut in interest rates when the Federal Reserve meets March 20. The Fed has already cut borrowing costs by a full percentage point since Jan. 3 in an effort to stave off recession. Monday's slide in U.S. stock prices is also adding to calls for the Fed to be even more aggressive in easing monetary policy, especially as such declines could weigh on consumer confidence and thus future retail activity.
SUBSTANTIAL UPWARD REVISIONS FOR JANUARY
The substantial revisions to January retail sales, which meant they increased at the fastest pace since February 2000, were fostered by sizable upward changes to sales of automobiles, furniture, food and pharmaceuticals.
Excluding automobiles, sales of which rose 1.3% as opposed to the 0.6% increase first reported, retail sales rose 1.3% compared with the 0.8% initially recorded.