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Consumer spending was a key driver of economic growth in the second quarter, and the data will show whether this continues to hold in the third.
Economists forecast that advance retail sales fell 0.1% month-on-month during the month, according to Bloomberg.
The decline in auto sales in August could be the drag. Ford, one of the so-called Big Three carmakers, said last month that for the rest of the year, it would be tough to match the pace of sales witnessed in 2015.
Excluding auto and gas sales, which can be volatile on a monthly basis, so-called core retail sales are forecast to have increased by 0.3%.
The retail sales control group, which feeds directly into gross domestic product, is estimated to have increased by 0.4%.