Around the World: United States

Market watches shoppers

Shoppers in the US headed to department stores in droves in the dead of night on Friday to kick off the holiday shopping season, though many said they had pared back how much they would spend on family members and on themselves.

Black Friday, the day after US Thanksgiving, is often the single busiest shopping day of the crucial holiday season, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the retail industry's annual sales. Friday sales are being monitored closely for signs the US shopper is again ready to propel the economy forward, after the global financial crisis last year led to the worst holiday season in nearly four decades.