By Cynthia Lin
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold and crude oil futures remained lower after the Commerce Department reported that sales at U.S. retailers dropped 0.5% in June, hinting at an economic slowdown. In recent trading, gold for August delivery fell $5.20, or 0.4%, at $1,208.50 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, edging slightly lower from before the report. Crude for the same month stayed at $76.67 a barrel, down 48 cents, or 0.7% for the day. The report showed the steepest decline in sales of durable goods and gasoline, while soft goods sales remained robust. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected sales to fall 0.4% for the month.
