Consumers showed unexpected strength in November, giving a solid start to the holiday season as inflation showed signs of continued easing. Retail sales rose 0.3% in November, stronger than the 0.2% decline in October and better than the Dow Jones estimate for a decrease of 0.1%, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. The total is adjusted for seasonal factors but not inflation. Excluding autos, sales rose 0.2%, also better than the forecast for no change. Stripping out autos and gas, sales rose 0.6%. With the consumer price index up 0.1% on a monthly basis in November, the retail sales number shows consumers ... (full story)