U.S. Retail Holiday Sales Jump 4.9%, Biggest Increase Since 2011

HO, HO, HO … DONALD TRUMP, MAKING HOLIDAY SHOPPING GREAT AGAIN …

As reported at USA Today, U.S. year-end holiday retail sales rose 4.9% compared to the same period last year. The shoppers were out in force this holiday season as sales rose 4.9% from November 1 through Christmas Eve, easily beating the 3.7% from last year. Online retail sales rose 18.1% in 2017. THE TRUMP EFFECT: The rise in sales figures reflect the near record high consumer confidence, a strong jobs market, near DOW 25 K, unemployment fell to a 17 year low in October and with the passage and signing of the Tax bill, look for the economy to get even better.

Despite thousands of store closings this year, Americans supplied a final flurry of spending to give retailers their best holiday season sales since 2011, figures released Tuesday show.

U.S. year-end holiday retail sales rose 4.9% compared to the same period last year, a welcome gift to U.S. retailers amid new signs of consumer confidence.

Online retail shopping similarly increased 18.1%, while overall consumer buying during the holiday period set a new record for dollars spent, according to the sales report issued by Mastercard SpendingPulse.

“Overall, this year was a big win for retail,” Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president of Market Insights, Mastercard, said in a statement issued with the report. “The strong U.S. economy was a contributing factor, but we also have to recognize that retailers who tried new strategies to engage holiday shoppers were the beneficiaries of this sales increase.”

Although the report showed the 2017 holiday shopping season from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 was a winner for all retailers, the results differed by category. Retailers that succeeded tapped into: