RealtyTrac reported this morning that foreclosure inventories declined by 15% from October to November and have declined by 37% from year ago levels. There were 113,454 foreclosure filings in November, which includes default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions. November marked the largest month-over-month decline since November 2010, when activity fell by 21%.Americans filing for first time unemployment benefits surged by 68,000 to 368,000 in the latest week to levels not seen since early October. Estimates were looking for 315,000 new filings. The previous week, Weekly Initial Jobless Claims dropped to 298,000, but that was most likely influenced by Thanksgiving week as filers waited until after the holiday to process their claims.Consumers opened their wallets in November and purchased a variety of goods headed into the holiday season. Retail Sales rose by 0.7% last month, above the 0.6% expected. Consumer spending accounts for about 30% of Retail Sales. Spending has been ticking up as the job market rebounds and incomes rise.