Latest US statistics

• Retail sales in January. Sales in December edged up 0.1%, following a 0.4% rise in November and 0.7% gain in October.
• The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index in January. The December index rose 1.8 points to 93.8 for a fourth straight monthly advance.
• Import prices in January. Prices dipped 0.1% in December.
• Business inventories in December. Inventories rose 0.3% in November as did business sales, keeping the stock-to-sales ratio unchanged for a fifth straight month at a lean 1.27.