J.C. Penney Beats Christmas Blues

While other department stores and discount chains had a disappointing holiday season, J.C. Penney(JCP Quote) has had a bit to cheer about.

The Plano, Texas-based retailer reported on Monday that its department stores posted same-store sales gains of about 4.5% for December. Not only was that above J.C. Penney's own expectations, it bested the same-store sales reports of rivals such as Wal-Mart (WMT Quote), Federated (FD Quote) and Target (TGT Quote).

Same-store sales compare results at outlets open for more than one year. ...