U.S. Holiday Sales Rose 4%, Just Shy of Projections, NRF Says

U.S. holiday sales rose 4 percent from a year earlier, marking the biggest increase since 2011, after a longer shopping season and heavy discounts encouraged consumers to spend, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Holiday spending growth had been forecast to rise a slightly higher 4.1 percent in the period, which spans November and December. Still, the increase was well above the previous year's 3.1 percent gain and the 10-year average of 2.9 percent, according to the NRF.