US retail sales barely grow in October

US consumers remained hesitant last month, spending more on their homes, health and restaurants but cutting back on big-ticket items like cars and appliances, the Commerce Department said Friday. In a report that comes just ahead of the Christmas shopping season, overall US retail and food service sales grew just 0.1 percent from September, less than analysts had expected, hitting $447 billion for the month. Automobile sales, which have underpinned overall retail sales growth for the past two ye