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Holiday shoppers put wallets away in December, sales slump despite discounts

OTTAWA - Canadian shoppers reined in spending before Christmas this year as retail sales slumped 0.2 per cent in December despite apparent deep discount sales from stores. The fall-off followed a revised 0.4 per cent pop in November, an indication that shoppers had both completed their Christmas shopping early and were cautious consumers during the holiday season, analysts said. "The overall story here is that after a nice bounce out of the recession, Canadian consumer spending is cooling, and I think that will be the dominant story in 2012," said Douglas Porter, deputy chief economist with BMO Capital Markets. "In a nutshell, disposable income growth is very modest and likely to become more modest as job growth slows down and we begin to see various…

VICTORIA - The B.C. Liberal government delivered a tight provincial budget Tuesday, doling out some modest goodies and signalling the start of a year-long campaign to convince voters it can deliver fiscal responsibility. The budget promises to balance the books by the end of next…

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The past three years have been upbeat ones for Archie, the everyteen hero of one of America's most enduring comics. He's gotten married — twice, no less. His social circle has…

OTTAWA - The federal government is stepping up its rhetoric to justify plans to cut public pension benefits, but remains silent on how it will address seniors' poverty. In a speech in Toronto on Tuesday, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley delivered the government's most nuanced…

ATHENS, Greece - Greeks were torn between relief and foreboding on the news Tuesday that their country has received a new massive bailout — while the aid will protect them from a calamitous default and…