MW: Coming up: U.S. retail sales, Empire State index
By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The government on Tuesday is slated to release reports on monthly retail sales and manufacturing activity in the New York region at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch project that U.S. retail sales grew 0.6% in January, and also by 0.6% excluding the volatile auto segment. It would represent the seventh straight monthly gain in consumer spending, which is the largest contributor to the nation's economic growth. Also, the New York Federal Reserve's Empire State Manufacturing survey for February is expected to increase to 14.3 from 11.9 in January. Readings above zero indicate that business is improving at more firms than it is getting worse.
