Singapore's retail sales increased at a faster-than-expected pace in September, after falling in the previous month, figures from the Department of Statistics revealed Tuesday.
Retail sales climbed 2.0 percent year-over-year in September, reversing a 0.5 percent drop in August. Economists had expected a 1.8 percent rise for the month.
Excluding motor vehicles, retail trade fell 1.9 percent in September from a year ago, while motor vehicle sales alone surged by 20.4 percent.
Sales at petrol service stations logged a growth of 2.0 percent and sales of medical goods and toiletries went up by 2.1 percent.
At the same time, sales of food and beverages declined 7.8 percent and sales at supermarkets slid by 4.1 percent.
Month-on-month, retail sales dropped a seasonally adjusted 0.7 percent in September, following a 0.8 percent fall in the prior month. In contrast, it was forecast to increase by 0.3 percent.
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