Investing.com - Retail sales in the euro zone rose more than expected in December, easing concerns over the region’s economic outlook, official data showed on Wednesday.
In a report, Eurostat said retail sales increased by a seasonally adjusted 0.3% in December, above forecasts for a gain of 0.2%.
Retail sales rose by 0.7% in November, whose figure was upwardly revised from a previously reported gain of 0.6%.
Year-over-year, retail sales in the euro zone increased at an annualized rate of 2.8% in December from a year earlier, easily surpassing expectations for a 2.0% gain and after rising 1.6% in November.
EUR/USD was trading at 1.1453 from around 1.1446 ahead of the release of the data, while EUR/GBP was at 0.7546 from 0.7540 earlier.
Meanwhile, European stock markets remained lower. The EURO STOXX 50 shed 0.45%, France's CAC 40 dipped 0.35%, Germany's DAX declined 0.5%, while London’s FTSE 100 slumped 0.55%.