A lot of the credit for the U.S. averting an economic recession over the past year is going to consumers as their spending has remained strong despite elevated interest rates. The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau showed that retail sales in November were up 0.1% from October, and up 3.1% from a year earlier. Despite a high interest rate environment, strong consumer spending has helped stave off an economic meltdown, so investors should be paying attention to top retail stocks in 2024. During the holiday shopping season at the end of 2023, consumers spent a record $9.8 billion on online shopping alone on Black Friday…
