(Reuters) – U.S. retail sales rose 3.8% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, as customers turned to last minute shopping due to intense holiday season promotions, a Mastercard (NYSE:MA) report showed on Thursday.
The jump in sales was higher than a 3.2% rise forecast by Mastercard in September and well above a 3.1% increase from a year earlier, with the last five days of the season accounting for 10% of all holiday spending.
Mastercard SpendingPulse measures in-store and online retail sales across all forms of payment. It excludes automotive sales.
