big-ticket items

The biggest shopping season is off to an even better-than-expected start. New government figures show November sales rose 0.8% from October and 7.7% from November 2009, supporting retailers' recent view that the recession is finally losing its hold on shoppers.

Factory orders rose just 0.1% in July, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Thursday in a report that further clarified that the manufacturing sector's expansion slowed down this summer. While the statistic did indicate tepid growth, it was less than the 0.3% gain economists had predicted.