Brazil retail sales slip in December as high rates weigh

SAO PAULO, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's retail sales volumes fell in December from the previous month, data from the government statistics agency IBGE showed on Friday, as Latin America's largest economy shows signs of cooling amid high interest rates.

• Sales were down 0.4% in December from November, a steeper drop than the 0.2% decline expected by economists in a Reuters poll.

• Six of the eight sectors surveyed posted month-on-month declines in December, IBGE said.

• Year-on-year, services output rose 2.3%, while economists expected a 2.5% increase.

• Brazil's central bank has kept Brazil's benchmark interest rate at 15%, a near-two-decade high, to curb inflation.