Retail Sales Beat Expectations. American Shoppers Are a Hardy Bunch.

Retail sales for December jumped past expectations, proving yet again that it’s a bad idea to wager against American shoppers. Retail sales were up 0.6% in December from the prior month, above forecasts for an increase of 0.4%, according to FactSet. The National Retail Federation, for instance, expected holiday retail sales to rise between 3% and 4% this year.