Consumer spending has kept the economy moving, and when initial holiday sales were better than expected, financial markets reacted with enthusiasm. It was this potential pick-up in the economy that caused interest rates, including mortgage rates, to drift upwards this week.

Mortgage rates have been so low and accommodating that total home sales surged in October as families took advantage of the affordable atmosphere.

The economy and retail sales are on the rebound, but the signs suggest that it will be an uneven rebound.

Holiday sales have become a vital component of the retail sales cycle for millions of small businesses. Overall, we found 51 percent of U.S. small business owners believe Valentine's Day sales are important to their business and are optimistic that sales will be rosy this year.

This is very much a good sign for holiday PC sales.

We were obviously disappointed by sales for this holiday season, particularly because we had been outperforming the retail sector as a whole for the previous nine months,