Retail Sales Close Out Year On Lackluster Tone

NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers pulled back the pace of their spending in December from November, closing out the holiday shopping season and the year on a lackluster tone. The report, issued by the Commerce Department on Tuesday, raised questions about shoppers’ ability to spend this year as they worry about a slowing job market and uncertainty around President Donald Trump’s tariffs and their impact on prices. Retail sales were flat in December from November, when business was up 0.6%. Economists were expecting a 0.4% increase for December.