US DATA: Redbook sales for Dec 4: “Retailers said average
transaction tickets were generally ahead of last year. With Hanukkah
having begun on Wednesday, retailers saw increases in both traffic and
sales during the week. If December follows a typical pattern, as
expected, sales are likely to slow down in the next week or two before
accelerating.” There is an extra Christmas shopping day this yr.

Year-over-year: Week (w/e 12/04/10 vs year-ago) 3.8%
Year-over-year: Month (December 2010 vs December 2009) 3.8%
Month-over-month: (December 2010 vs November 2010) 0.6%