Romania’s retail sales grew at the softest pace in four months in October, figures from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) showed on Thursday. Retail sales rose a working-day adjusted 6.4% year-on-year in October, after a revised 7.2% increase in September. Sale of food, beverages and tobacco grew by 6.9% annually in October, and those of automotive fuel in specialized stores and non-food products rose by 6.8% and 6.2%, respectively. On a monthly comparison basis, retail sales gained a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in October. On an unadjusted basis, retail sales increased 6.9% annually in October and rose 2.0% from the previous month. In a separate statement, the Bucharest-based statistics institute said that Romanian GDP expanded 3.0% yr/yr in the third quarter of 2019, matching preliminary estimates, but below a 4.4% growth in the previous period. On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, the economy advanced 0.6% in the Q3, compared to a 0.8% expansion in the prior quarter. (source: INS)