Consumer Shares Climb; U.S. Auto Sales Decline - Consumer Roundup

Shares of retailers and other consumer-services companies rose. Domestic car companies collectively reported lower U.S. sales in December, signaling the auto industry's 2017 tally fell short of the record set in 2016 and represented the first annual decline since the financial crisis eight years ago. General Motors Co. said December sales slipped 3.3%, to 308,539 vehicles. The nation's largest auto maker posted solid gains in pickup trucks and crossover SUVs-among its most profitable products-and posted record sales for the year in both categories. Ford Motor Co. reported a 1.3% increase in December sales to 240,910 units. The results included a 2% increase in sales of its franchise F-series pickups-the nation's top-selling model-and an 8% increase in sales of its SUVs. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV sales sank 11% to 171,946 vehicles, because of a planned reduction in fleet sales, down 42% from a year earlier. Sales fell across most of the auto maker's brands for the month, including a 12% decline in Jeep sales, the company's largest brand. (Amy.Pessetto@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 03, 2018 17:27 ET (22:27 GMT)