The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported record-breaking U.S. holiday sales, with 203 million shoppers participating and average spending of $337.86 each despite persistent inflation.Online sales surged to $44.2 billion from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, with Cyber Monday itself generating $14.2 billion and heavy use of "buy now, pay later" options.Inflation, driven partly by tariff increases during former President Donald Trump's administration, pushed prices up substantially across categories, but both in-store and online shopping rose, and retail stocks responded positively.