By the Stats: Retail, Online Holiday Sales Increase

Holiday retail and online sales rose 8.7 percent from 2004, according to SpendingPulse, a division of MasterCard International. And research firm comScore Networks reported that non-travel-related online sales totaled $17.5 billion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 21, making for a 24 percent increase over the corresponding period in 2004.