US holiday sales up 4% amid signs of spending slowdown in Dec

New York

US holiday sales rose 4 per cent from a year earlier, marking the biggest increase since 2011, even amid signs of a consumer-spending slowdown in December, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

Holiday spending growth had been forecast to rise a slightly higher 4.1 per cent in the period, which spans November and December. Still, the increase was well above the previous year's 3.1 per cent gain and the 10-year average of 2.9 per cent, the Washington-based trade group said.