US DATA: From National Retail Fed’n: “Even though consumers spent
most of 2010 on the sidelines, retailers found a way to tap into pent up
demand when it counted the most. According to the National Retail
Federation, retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas
stations, and restaurants) for December rose 5.3 percent unadjusted
year-over-year and 0.5 percent seasonally adjusted from November. As a
result, preliminary 2010 holiday sales, which combine the full months of
November and December, rose 5.7 percent to $462 billion, surpassing
NRF’s forecast of 3.3 percent. This represents the best holiday sales
gain since 2004 when holiday sales increased 5.9 percent.” See
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