Two years into the deepest recession in a generation, consumers may be showing signs of what some have termed frugal fatigue.

American consumers shopped more for bargains at the start of the U.S. holiday season and spent significantly less than a year ago, according to early data.

Stocks rallied at the beginning of the week, then sold off on Dubai worries Friday, leaving the Dow within 10 points of where it started the week.

Stocks pared their losses Friday, after a sharp drop at the open amid worries about Dubai defaulting on its debt.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a sharply lower open for a holiday-shortened session Friday, mirroring losses in European and Asian markets after Dubai announced the first step of restructuring some of its debt.

When Lori Fowlkes first saw robotic Zhu Zhu Pets toy hamsters in September, she remembers her kids started jumping up and down and saying "Please! Please! Can we buy them?" Seeing a fully stocked shelf, she decided to hold off until Christmas.

Americans headed to stores in droves to kick off the holiday shopping season Friday, though many said they were being more selective about what they buy and paring back what they spend.

U.S. shoppers may stretch tight budgets this year to reward loved ones after months of thrift, a softening of heart that store chains hope will erase the holiday season sales debacle of 2008.

British retail sales rose at their fastest pace in two years in November and retailers expect a further rise next month, according to a survey on Thursday that will boost hopes of a strong Christmas shopping period.

U.S. consumer sentiment improved slightly in late November from earlier this month, but it was weaker than October on deep anxiety over personal finances, a survey showed Wednesday.

Tiffany & Co. reported a larger-than-expected quarterly profit as the upscale jeweler contained costs and benefited from stronger sales in Asia and Europe, sending its shares up 7.5 percent.

UK shoppers still hear the same Christmas classic tunes, but the bright signs screaming “sale, sale, sale” aren’t what they had expected. The deals of Christmas-past are distant memories as inventory cutbacks are in full swing.

Shares of CapitaMalls Asia opened 8.5 percent higher on Wednesday before trimming gains, as investors bought into Singapore's biggest public offering for 16 years to gain exposure to China's fast-growing consumer market.

In what is emerging as one of the main story lines of the 2009 post-recession shopping season, the Wal-Mart and Amazon.com are waging an online price war that is spreading through product areas like books, movies, toys and electronics, the New York Times reports.

Americans' confidence in the economy improved slightly in November, but they remain gloomy amid a weak job market heading into the holiday season.