UK Retail Sales unexpectedly drop 0.3% MoM in December vs. +0.4% expected

• The UK Retail Sales fell 0.3% MoM in December, a negative surprise.
• Monthly core Retail Sales for the UK declined 0.6% in December.
• GBP/USD gives up 1.2200 after downbeat UK consumer data.

The United Kingdom (UK) Retail Sales decreased at a monthly pace of 0.3% in December after growing 0.1% in November, the latest data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Friday. Markets expected a 0.4% increase in the reported month.

The core Retail Sales, stripping the auto motor fuel sales, dropped by 0.6% MoM, against the previous growth of 0.1% and the estimated 0.1% figure.