Holiday Consumer Spending Up 8.7% Over Last Year

onsumer spending during the recent holiday season rose 8.7% over last year, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Citing a survey conducted by credit-card firm MasterCard International, the Journal said that demand for electronic items like televisions, MP3 players and digital cameras spurred the increase, as did sales of home furnishings.

Almost all trucking operations depend on the health of retail sales because such sales involve nearly every type of cargo.

Home furnishings led the gains, with a 15.2% jump over last year, followed by electronics at 10.2%, women’s apparel at 8.2% and sporting goods/music/videos at 6.4%, the Journal reported.