By Rex Nutting
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. retail sales fell a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in December on widespread weakness across different kinds of stores, the Commerce Department estimated Thursday. The decline was unexpected, as economists surveyed by MarketWatch were forecasting a 0.5% gain. Auto sales disappointed, dropping 0.8% in dollar terms despite an increase in unit sales reported by the automakers. Excluding auto sales, retail sales fell 0.2%. Sales for all of 2009 fell 6.2% compared with 2008 to $4.14 trillion. It was the largest decline on record, dating back to 1992. It was only the second decline on record; the other was the 0.5% drop in 2008.
