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Americans’ incomes rose last month by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign after a year of weak wage gains.

The Commerce Department says incomes rose 0.5 percent, the strongest increase since a similar gain in March. Consumer spending was unchanged, following weak gains of 0.1 percent in both October and November.

The income increase after paying taxes and adjusting for inflation was 0.3 percent in December. For the year, inflation-adjusted incomes rose 0.9 percent, just half the modest 1.8 percent rise in 2010.

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Japan may exempt home purchases from any increase in its sales tax, or reduce the amount of increase, Finance Minister Jun Azumi said.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda aims to double the 5 percent sales tax by 2015 to boost revenue and contain a public debt burden twice the size of Japan

Consumer prices in the euro zone fell more than previously expected in December, the start of a retreat from a November peak that should give the European Central Bank more room to cut interest rates as the economy heads for recession.

Inflation in the 17 countries sharing the euro was 2.7 percent in December on an annual basis, revised down from an earlier estimate of 2.8 percent for the month, the European Union’s statistics office Eurostat said.

“The pressure is abating although the risks from energy are still there,” said Fabio Fois, an economist at Barclay’s Capital. “We think the ECB could bring rates as low as 0.5 percent in March,” he said.

The bank made two 25 basis points cuts after Mario Draghi took over as president in November before holding fire this month.

Many economists expect it to take rates below 1 percent for the first time ever in the coming months but comments by Governing Council member Ewald Nowotny published on Tuesday hinted that the bank was in no hurry to move again.

“We are all agreed that now the point is to allow these measures to take full effect. Only then will we take further decisions,” he told the Wall Street Journal’s German website.

“For the ECB ‘We never precommit’ always applies, but there are no plans whatsoever at the moment.”

Reuters’ latest polling of some 66 economists before the ECB met earlier this month suggested the bank will cut interest rates to a new record low of 0.75 percent in February or March no fax payday loans.

Economists had expected euro zone inflation to remain at 2.8 percent in December.

IRAN EFFECT

Stripping out volatile energy prices, the main driver behind a 3 percent peak in the headline number in September, October and November, inflation was 1.9 percent.

Without energy and food, it was 1.6 percent.

That sits better with the ECB’s target of below, but close to 2 percent, which the Frankfurt-based bank judges to be right for price stability and a healthy economy.

The euro zone’s economy, however, is anything but. The bloc’s gross domestic product probably contracted in the fourth quarter of 2011 and is expected to do so again in the first quarter of 2012 - showing it has fallen into a recession.

The weakening economy and rising unemployment across the bloc are cutting demand for goods and with it pressuring retailers to reduce prices. That has offset continuing high prices for crude oil globally due to concerns about a supply disruption in Iran.

Oil futures rose on Monday after Saudi Arabia told its Gulf Arab neighbors not to make up any shortfall caused by an embargo on Iranian crude oil exports.

In the euro zone in December, fuels for transport, heating oil, gas and electricity had the biggest impact on inflation in December. Energy inflation was a massive 9.7 percent in the month, compared to December 2010, Eurostat said.

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all at the same time, without being forced to close down a program.

But the cool part is the controls. First, the TV’s built-in cameras use face recognition to automatically sign users into their personal profiles. Then, users can issue voice commands like "channel 34" or "guide" to control the TV. They can also use gesture controls for Web browsing, adjusting the volume and more.

Overall, the experience looks like what would happen if Apple’s (, Fortune 500) Siri voice assistant and Microsoft’s (, Fortune 500) Kinect motion-sensor system had a baby TV.

Content is accessed through the Smart TV Hub. That menu includes other features like "Family Story" — which can upload photos and videos from a mobile device to the TV — and special hubs for fitness content and for kids.

The ES8000, along with most of the other devices Samsung announced Monday, didn’t get a release date beyond "sometime this year."

On Sunday, the company unveiled a device called the InTouch, which converts regular TVs into smart TVs payday loans for bad credit. The $199 converter is a low-cost option for customers to add Internet browsing, Skype voice calling and a keyboard remote, without having to buy a new TV.

Samsung’s Monday keynote also included more on the TV and Internet-connected fronts: a 55-inch Super OLED TV, as well as connected washer/dryer and connected camera line.

In addition, two Samsung devices will soon make their 4G network debuts: the Galaxy Note phone, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet.

Samsung closed the keynote with two computer announcements. The new Series 9 Notebook is "the thinnest premium notebook on the market," the company says, at just a half-inch thick and 2.2 pounds. It boots up in just under 10 seconds.

Like many of the CES exhibitors, Samsung also unveiled a super-thin ultrabook: the Series 5 Ultra. Samsung says Web browsing on the laptop is twice as fast as on last-generation notebooks. 

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U.S. stocks rallied Tuesday, kicking off the new year on a high note, as investors welcomed upbeat reports on economic activity around the world.

The Dow Jones industrial average () jumped 180 points, or 1.5%, to end at 12,397. The S&P 500 () gained 19 points, or 1.5%, to 1,277. The Nasdaq () added 43 points, or 1.7%, to 2,649.

The gains came after reports on manufacturing growth in China and India came in better than expected over the weekend. On Tuesday, a report showed U.S. manufacturing activity grew at a faster rate in December.

U.S. markets were closed Monday for the New Year holiday.

"There were no major negative headlines out of Europe, and we had some data suggesting the global economy is expanding," said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at BTIG.

Investors scooped up shares of companies that would benefit from a strengthening global economy.

Bank stocks, which were among the worst performing sectors last year, led the Dow higher. Bank of America (, Fortune 500), Citigroup (, Fortune 500) and JPMorgan (, Fortune 500) all posted strong gains.

Industrial names Caterpillar (, Fortune 500) and Alcoa (, Fortune 500) were also higher, as were multinationals such as GE (, Fortune 500), Microsoft (, Fortune 500) and 3M (, Fortune 500).

But traders say the market is vulnerable to concerns about the debt crisis in Europe, which has been the main driver of stock prices for several months.

Stocks in 2012: Choppy but higher

"At least for today, there’s no disaster in Europe," said Art Hogan, a managing director at Lazard Capital Markets. "The market remains focused on what’s going on in the eurozone."

Meanwhile, oil prices surged more than 4% on continued anxiety over Iran’s growing threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. stocks finished little changed Friday, bringing to an end a year in which the S&P dropped just 0.04 point — the smallest annual change in history. The Dow rose 5.5% for the year, while the Nasdaq lost 1.8%.

Economy: The Institute of Supply Management’s survey of manufacturing purchasing managers rose to 53.9 from 52.7. That’s a bit better than the 53.4 forecast of economists surveyed by Briefing.com.

Any reading above 50 signals expansion in the sector.

The Commerce Department said construction spending jumped 1 quick guaranteed personal loans.2% in November, after a revised 0.2% decline in October. Analysts surveyed by Briefing.com expect construction spending to have risen by 0.5%.

Over the weekend, the Chinese government released its official reading on manufacturing activity, showing the sector expanded slightly in December, after contracting the month before. And on Monday, a report compiled by HSBC and Markit showed India’s manufacturing activity picked up significantly during the month.

The manufacturing data "provides further evidence that global industrial production is likely to be stabilizing in the months to come," analysts at Barclays Capital wrote in a note to clients.

The Federal Reserve plans to give even more detailed forecasts about where it expects its key interest rate to be years from now, according to minutes of the Fed’s December meeting released Tuesday.

Companies: Chesapeake Energy (, Fortune 500) shares rose after the Oklahoma City-based energy company announced it completed a venture with an affiliate of French oil company Total () that gives the French firm a 25% stake in more than 600,000 acres in eastern Ohio, an area rich in shale oil.

20 Stocks For January 2012

Mead Johnson Nutrition () shares gained after two U.S. government agencies said they have completed their investigation of Enfamil and found the baby formula safe to use. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had stepped in after a newborn baby died of a rare bacterial infection that they suspected could be linked to the powder-based infant formula.

World markets: European stocks also rose. Britain’s FTSE 100 () added 2%, the DAX () in Germany added 1.5% and France’s CAC 40 () gained 0.4%.

The Hang Seng () in Hong Kong added 2.4%. Markets in Shanghai () and Tokyo () were both closed for an extended New Year holiday.

Currencies and commodities: The dollar fell against the euro, the British pound and the Japanese yen.

Oil for February delivery added $4.20, or 4.2%, to $103.03 a barrel.

Gold futures for February delivery rose $33.70 to end at $1,600.50 an ounce.

Bonds: The price on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury fell, pushing the yield up to 1.96% from 1.87% late Friday.  

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Best Buy has alerted some customers that it will not be able to fill their online orders, just days before Christmas.

The largest U.S. specialty electronics retailer said late Wednesday that “overwhelming demand for some products from Bestbuy.com has led to a problem redeeming online orders made in November and December.

The Minneapolis company declined Thursday to specify how many orders are affected or which products are out of stock.

The shortages are a black eye for Best Buy, which has beefed up its online campaign to fight off intense competition from online retailers and discount stores. And the holiday season is crucial for retailers like Best Buy because it can make up to 40 percent of annual sales.

Some glitches should not be a surprise with such a massive surge in online shopping this year, analysts said, but there is a risk of a backlash.

“It is a hiccup for the company,” said Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy. “They were kind of behind the curve building out their online channel. They’ve done a good job investing in it, but if you make a lot of rapid changes, inevitably there are going to be growing pains.”

The canceled orders probably won’t make a big difference for Best Buy’s holiday sales this year, but it may lead to more customers looking elsewhere in the future, he said.

“The risk is any consumers affected by canceled orders will be willing to explore other alternatives for online shopping in years to come,” Hottovy said.

Online sales are up 15 percent to $32 billion so far this holiday season, while total sales are up just 2.5 percent.

Even though online sales are a huge boon for retailer, the shift has already created some problems. Discount retailer Target Corp’s site crashed in September because of overwhelming demand for Missoni for Target, a limited designer line of clothing, home goods and accessories.

Best Buy benefitted when its now-defunct rival Circuit City went out of business more than a year ago, but its suffering as Americans hold off on big ticket items and search for deals online and at discounters.

In order to compete, Best Buy has expanded its online offerings, cut back on square footage in the U.S. by closing stores and sought to expand internationally. In its most recent third quarter ending Nov. 26, Best Buy said its net income fell 29 percent as it cut prices in popular categories such as tablets and TVs to drive sales and traffic during the holiday season.

Best Buy shares rose 8 cents to $22.96 in midday trading.

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Asian stocks fell Thursday as Japanese business confidence and Chinese manufacturing both slipped, but European shares rose as data showing the region’s economic output contracted less than anticipated.

Benchmark oil rose to near $96 per barrel after a big slide the day before while the dollar rose against the euro but fell against the yen.

Stock markets headed higher in early European trading. Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.7 percent to 5,404.36. Germany’s DAX jumped 1.1 percent to 5,734.83 and France’s CAC-40 added 0.9 percent to 3,001.80.

Wall Street was headed for a higher opening, with Dow Jones industrial futures rising marginally to 11,770 and S&P 500 futures gaining slightly to 1,207.20.

The purchasing managers’ index published by financial data company Markit showed eurozone manufacturing and services output contracting for a fourth month in December, although at the slowest rate since September. The composite output index stood at 47.9 in December, up from 47.0 in November.

“The December Eurozone purchasing managers surveys are better than feared and show welcome, much-needed improvement. However, the likelihood remains that Eurozone GDP will contract in the fourth quarter, even if the decline may not be as has been feared,” said Howard Archer of IHS Global Insight in a report.

But stocks faced strong headwinds earlier in Asia as business confidence fell in Japan and Chinese manufacturing data showed a contraction, although at a slower rate.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 index shed 1.7 percent to close at 8,377.37, a three-week low. South Korea’s Kospi lost 2.1 percent to 1,819.11 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng tumbled 1.8 percent to 18,026.84.

Mainland Chinese shares lost ground for a sixth straight trading day, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index falling 2.1 percent to 2,180.90, while the Shenzhen Composite Index lost 2.3 percent to 886.01.

In Japan, confidence at major manufacturers fell over the last quarter. The Bank of Japan’s “tankan” survey of business sentiment fell to minus 4.

The figure represents the percentage of companies saying business conditions are good minus those saying conditions are unfavorable, with 100 representing the best mood and minus 100 the worst.

Japan’s strong yen has hit multiple historic highs this year against the dollar, making business conditions difficult for Japan’s export-reliant economy.

Meanwhile, preliminary manufacturing figures showed that Chinese factory output contracted, but at a slower rate, in December. HSBC’s purchasing manager’s index for December stood at 49 us fast cash.0, up from 47.7 in November. Any number below 50 indicates a contraction in manufacturing activity.

But the figure didn’t raise hopes that China might ease its monetary policy anytime soon.

“I don’t think there will be an interest rate cut in the short-term,” said Dickie Wong, executive director of research at Kingston Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong. “Sentiment is really bad in China.”

On Wall Street, stocks plummeted Wednesday amid a growing sense that Europe’s leaders have failed to contain that region’s debt crisis.

Since European leaders reached an agreement to rein in future government budget deficits last week, investors and credit rating agencies have criticized the deal for failing to address current problems.

Italy had to pay higher borrowing rates in its last bond auction of the year Wednesday. The third-largest economy among the 17 nations the use the euro paid 6.47 percent interest to borrow 3 billion euros ($3.95 billion) for five years _ up 0.17 percentage point from last comparable auction _ and the highest rate since the euro came into existence in 1999.

The higher rates make it more expensive for Italy to borrow money and reflect rising doubts that the country will be able to repay its debts.

Oil prices, which plunged more than $5 on Wednesday, drove down energy-related shares. South Korea’s S-Oil Corp. fell 4.7 percent. Hong Kong-listed China National Offshore Oil Corp. dropped 4.6 percent.

Asian banking shares fell on the heels of a downgrade by Fitch Ratings of five major European commercial banks and cooperative banking groups. Hong Kong-listed Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, the world’s largest bank by market value, fell 2.6 percent. Australia’s Westpac Banking Corp. fell 1.8 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.1 percent to close at 11,823.48 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 1.1 percent to 1,211.82. The Nasdaq fell 1.6 percent to 2,539.31.

Benchmark oil for January delivery was up 76 cents at $95.71 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract declined $5.19 to finish at $94.95 per barrel on the Nymex.

In currency trading, the euro slipped to $1.2975 from $1.2977 late Wednesday in New York. The dollar slipped to 77.92 yen from 78.07 yen.

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The federal government is moving ahead with the first auction of offshore petroleum leases in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon disaster _ despite a lawsuit challenging the sale.

Interior Department spokeswoman Melissa Schwartz said bids will be opened as scheduled on Wednesday in New Orleans.

Four environmental groups are challenging a study used to clear the sale _ but aren’t seeking a federal court order to stop the auction. Instead, an attorney said a judge might decide later to throw out the results if he agrees with the suit.

The sale covers the western Gulf off the coast of Texas. Officials said the auction has attracted 241 bids from 20 companies on 191 tracts.

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