Surveys Paint Mixed Holiday Picture

Two surveys of weekly chain-store sales showed mixed results at the height of the holiday shopping season.

The International Council of Shopping Centers, or ICSC, said its Weekly Chain Store Sales Index, a collaboration with UBS, rose 3.5% in the third week of December, compared with last year. That marks the index's strongest results so far for the season, up from the 2.4% pace set in the second week of the month and the 3.3% logged in the first.

For the holiday season, ICSC continues to expect that sales will grow by 2.5% to 3%. ...