Good news for the economy, bad news for people who like fire sales: Holiday sales rose 3.6 percent between November 1 and December 24, a small rebound that should help retailers avoid the disaster they faced last year after a 2.3 percent drop. Profits are expected to rise as well, since retailers had a whole year to plan their inventories to match consumer demand. Online sales, meanwhile, surged 15.5 percent, though they still make up less than 10 percent of all sales.
Read it at Associated Press
