US retail sales fall in Dec

US retail sales fell in December to cap the slowest year of growth since 2009, amid persistent downward pressure on prices, the Commerce Department said Friday.

Retail and food service sales fell 0.1 percent in the month, trimming strong gains in November, and for the year showed just 2.1 percent growth.

Falling gasoline prices underpinned some of the weakness, but not all of it.

Booming auto sales, which have propped up total retail figures all year, were flat in December, underscoring the lack of strength in other sectors.

Electronic sales dropped 0.2 percent, the third straight monthly loss, and the food and beverage sector lost 0.3 percent.

Falling gasoline prices underpinned some of the weakness but not all.

"The economy was flat-out weak at the end of last year, and January's financial market chaos does not bode well for a first quarter rebound," said FTN Financial in a client note.

Meanwhile, in another sign of persistent growth weakness, the Labor Department's producer price index

fell 0.2 percent in December, for a 12 month fall of 1.0 percent, compared to a 0.9 percent increase in 2014.