Canadian retail sales are likely to post losses in October, largely driven by falling auto sales and lower activity at the pumps, signaling a soft monthly GDP figure. Sales are estimated to post a 0.3% decrease during the reported month, following a 0.8% jump - the biggest increase since June, according to analysts' consensus. Core retail sales, which exclude automobile sales due to their tendency to be more volatile and distort the underlying trend, are expected to rise 0.2% in October, after posting no change the previous month. Statistics Canada will report fresh retail sales figures on Friday at 12:30pm GMT. Auto ... (full story)