Holiday Sales Climb 5.5% Over 2013: MasterCard

Retail sales, excluding automotive sales, rose 5.5% this holiday season from Black Friday through Christmas Eve, MasterCard said Friday. The payment-card company said its SpendingPulse report, which is based on near-real-time purchases and processes, showed sales were in line with forecasts and reflected an additional shopping day in comparison withe the 2013 season. Jewelry and women's apparel outperformed other categories, the report showed. "This holiday season was a social one," Sarah Quinlan, senior vice president at MasterCard Advisors, said in a statement. "While certain retail categories saw steady performance from prior months, the focus on creating experiences stayed at the top of many lists."