Holiday Sales Up 7.6 Percent Despite the Squeeze of Inflation

Holiday Sales Up 7.6 Percent Despite the Squeeze of Inflation
A shopper carries bags down Fifth Avenue in New York on Black Friday Nov. 25, 2022. Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo
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NEW YORK—Holiday sales rose this year as American spending remained resilient during the critical shopping season despite surging prices on everything from food to rent, according to one measure.

Holiday sales rose 7.6 percent, a slower pace than the 8.5 percent increase from a year earlier when shoppers began spending the money they had saved during the early part of the pandemic, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards.