Sheet Metal Stamping Simulation

etail sales and industrial production both rose in December, indicating that the U.S. economic recovery is picking up as the new year begins.

Purchases climbed 0.6 percent, capping the biggest annual increase in more than a decade, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington. Output at factories, mines and utilities increased 0.8 percent, the most in five months, according to data from the Federal Reserve.

Americans this year are forecast to boost the spending that accounts for 70 percent of the economy as tax cuts put more money in their pockets, increasing demand for Ford Motor Co. cars and Apple Inc. iPads. At the same time, an unexpected drop in consumer confidence indicates that rising gasoline prices and unemployment stuck above 9 percent pose a risk for sales.