Holiday sales seen moderate; housing weighs
600096
It's only September, but inflatable   Santa decorations were already on display at a newly opened   Wal-Mart store here this week as U.S. retailers try to   jump-start what looks to be a decent but unspectacular holiday   shopping season.
770249
Major U.S. retailers reported modest gains in November sales on Thursday, as discounting lured customers, but high energy prices and nagging concerns about a soggy job market kept buying in check.
400265
U.S. retailers on Thursday delivered mixed sales results for December, the year's key shopping month, with upscale stores faring well but many others slashing prices, squeezing profits.
474809
Sales of new single-family homes fell 4.7 percent in December while the median sales price fell 10.9 percent to $219,200 from November, according to a government report
430020
The jump in retail sales is likely to reinforce the Federal Reserveâs view that the cooling housing market has not hurt the rest of the economy.
71136
Sales of previously owned U.S. homes fell more than expected in December, ending a year that brought the sharpest housing slowdown since 1982 and the first annual drop in prices since the Great Depression.
709721
US home sales and price declines in 2007 are going to be steeper than earlier forecast, contributing to slower economic growth, the National Association of Realtors said.
521804
U.S. retailers are expected to post modest November sales this week, with No. 1 retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. already cutting its holiday outlook on high oil prices and warmer weather.
250325
The holiday shopping season began with a solid show of spending on Friday, but consumers faded by the weekend&#39;s close and many retailers were facing decent but hardly impressive sales.
513308
The pace of existing home sales edged up in November from a record low, according to a report on Monday that offered some tentative signs of stabilization in the still-ailing housing market.
749983
Sales at U.S. retailers fell 0.4  percent in December and were less vigorous in November than  previously thought, according to a government report on Tuesday  that implied costlier energy and slumping housing prices were  taking a toll on consumers.
239777
Pending sales of previously owned homes fell a steeper-than-expected 1.5 percent in December, pointing to more dreary conditions for the beleaguered housing market, a real estate trade group report on Thursday showed.
435484
U.S. retailers on Thursday delivered  mixed sales results for December, the year's key shopping  month, with upscale stores faring well but many others slashing  prices, squeezing profits.
207278
Retail sales posted a modest gain, despite a drop in consumer confidence spurred by the housing downturn and turbulence in the financial market.
434842
Price drops and declining sales in the Massachusetts housing market moderated in October, two housing reports showed yesterday, suggesting that the monthslong slump in the real estate market may be nearing its end.
400029
This season&#39;s dismal holiday-sales numbers may be hiding strong results from online operations, home improvement, consumer electronics and luxury stores that can offset the nation&#39;s mall malaise.
76450
The outlook for the holiday season brightened Thursday as many of the nation's retailers reported an improvement in sales in October. Discounters, however, had another month of lackluster results as their customers cut back their spending again.