The latest snapshot of US consumers will do little to bolster the Fed hawks' case for an interest rate rise year.
US retail sales clocked in another underwhelming month of growth in September, according to figures released from the Commerce Department on Wednesday.
Headline sales edged up 0.1 per cent last month from August, compared to market expectations for a 0.2 per cent increase.
The so-called 'control group' measure - that strips out petrol, food and building related purchases, fell 0.1 per cent, compared to the 0.3 per cent rise the market was expecting.
While traders have been increasingly discounting the odds of an October lift-off following weak US jobs data earlier this month, Wednesday's retail sales data will pour further cold water on such a move.
