The September 11th attack | America strikes back
Retail sales fall in September

Associated Press

Retail sales probably plummeted in September and consumer confidence likely slumped this month in the aftermath of terrorist attacks, raising the risk that the U.S. economy has fallen into recession for the first time in a decade.

Retail sales probably declined 0.8 percent in September after rising 0.3 percent in August, analysts said in advance of Friday's report from the Commerce Department. Excluding auto dealers, sales probably fell 0.5 percent last month, analysts said. A 0.8 percent decline in sales would be the largest since April 2000, when falling prices held down stores' receipts.