The U.S. Commerce Department reports on spending at retail businesses and restaurants in December. The report will be released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Tuesday. SLIGHT GAIN: Economists expect that retail spending rose 0.2 percent in December, according to a survey by FactSet. That would follow November's 0.7 percent gain. The December report will show how much Americans spent in the final weeks before the holidays, a critical time for retailers. Expectations are lower after several major retailers reported disappointing sales. And weaker auto sales are expected to have held back overall retail spending in December. (full story)