2010, December | featured news

US retail sales rose in December for the sixth consecutive month, but questions about the economy still remain.

Though December was weaker than expected, the overall holiday season was still relatively strong, analysts said.

General Motors Co posted a 7.5 percent rise in December U.S. auto sales and said it expects the industry to report sales at a 13 million-vehicle annualized rate for last month -- far higher than many forecasts and what would be the highest rate of 2010.

While three other firms disputed the finding, StatCounter of Dublin said Firefox surpassed Internet Explorer as the top European browser in December.

Europe's sovereign debt crisis will still hang over global markets this week, but on Wall Street, investors will not be afraid to bet on stocks.

Apple is expected to build its first 3 million Verizon-compatible CDMA iPhones in December 2010, contacts in the company's overseas supply chain reportedly indicated.

The government says the trade deficit surged to a larger-than-expected $40.18 billion in December, the biggest imbalance in 12 months.

Personal incomes rose more than expected in December and consumer spending increased for the third straight month, helping the economy slowly recover from the worst recession in decades.