U.S. Retailers Fare Better Than Expected 22 minutes ago Add Business - AP to My Yahoo! By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO, AP Business Writer NEW YORK - Consumers who kept retailers in suspense for weeks gave many storeowners a better-than-expected holiday season after all, coming through at the last minute with a big spending spree. Even struggling department stores ended the season with solid results. December results issued Thursday by the nation's biggest retailers showed that late shoppers helped companies including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., J.C. Penney Co. Inc., and Target Corp. offset a slow start to the season. Still, the end-of-the-season sales...