Mubasher: Preliminary estimates suggested that US retail sales fell by 0.3% in September, snapping a growth that was extended over six months, on a seasonally adjusted basis, official data showed.

This came after a gain of 0.6% recorded in the upwardly revised reading for August, the US Census Bureau said on Wednesday.

Retail sales, a gauge of purchases at stores, at restaurants and online, recorded $525.6 billion last September, falling from a revised $526.9 billion in the preceding month.

Sales dropped by 0.9% for car dealers, while sales at gasoline stations fell by 0.7%.

In addition, sales also dropped furniture centres, appliance stores, department stores and internet retailers.

Strong sales were only seen in health stores and pharmacies, as they rose by 0.6% last September. Clothing stores also saw their sales climbing by 1.3%.

However, on an annualised basis, total retail sales climbed by 4.1% last September.

Stripping out gasoline and automobile dealer receipts, the so-called core retail sales were unchanged.

By 12:40 pm GMT, the US dollar index fell by 0.04% to 98.2460.