WASHINGTON — Retail sales during 2020’s November-December holiday season grew an unexpectedly high 8.3% over the same period in 2019 to $789.4 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF). Online and other non-store sales increased 23.9% to $209 billion. NRF chief economist Jack Kleinhenz said consumers shifted into high gear in December, giving the
The arrival of a new year can be a time for hope, and that is especially true as the world puts 2020 in its rear view mirror. The approval of two COVID-19 vaccines, with more potentially on the way, will likely mark the beginning of the end for a pandemic that shook the U.S. economy,
WASHINGTON — Retail sales should grow by 3.5% to 4.1% this year, according to a forecast released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation. The trade group is predicting that sales in 2020 will top $3.9 trillion, despite uncertainty from the lingering trade war, the coronavirus outbreak and the presidential election. “The nation’s record-long economic expansion