Records, 2011 | featured news

Americans spent $50.96 billion on their pets in 2011. That's an all-time high and the first time in history more than $50 billion has gone to the dogs, cats, canaries, guppies and the like, the American Pet Products Association said in a report issued Thursday.

Retail sales barely rose in December, but the gain was enough to lift sales to a record level for 2011. It marked the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Sales inched up 0.1 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted $400.6 billion, The Commerce Department said Thursday. It was the second straight month that sales have topped $400 billion. Never before had monthly sales reached that level.

The summer of 2011 was the second hottest on record for the United States, and the hottest in 75 years, government weather experts said Thursday.

Gold futures topped $1,550 a troy ounce. The silver contract for July delivery settled at $48.599, its highest settlement ever.

Dow Needs 23 Percent in 2011 to Set Record, Which Happened 6 Times Since 1985

Administration estimates record-setting amount will drop to $1.3 trillion in 2011; Obama's proposed $3.8 trillion budget focuses on economy.