Resources

December 9, 2014 Higher same store sales and its purchase of Saks Inc. last year helped Hudson’s Bay Co. post a smaller quarterly loss in the third quarter. The company had a $13 million net loss and profits of $116 million, both improvements from the same time last year.  Same-store sales rose 1.7% in the... Read more »

December 4, 2014 Momentum continues to build at Kroger where the company elevated expectations for its fourth quarter performance after a better than expected showing in the third quarter. The company reported a 5.6 percent increase in identical store sales, extending to 44 the number of quarters in which it has posted a positive number. ... Read more »

December 8, 2014 The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI) increased in November.  The index now stands at 123.24, up from 122.8 (a downward revision) in October.  This represents a 6.1 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago. “The Employment Trends Index increased for the 11th straight month in November, and recent... Read more »

December 3, 2014  November posts large gain following flat October California, Florida and Texas show strong gains along with MSAs New York, Los Angeles and Seattle Online advertised vacancies rose 170,200 to 5,253,900 in November, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine (HWOL) Data Series.  The October Supply/Demand rate stands at 1.77 unemployed for... Read more »

December 5, 2014 As the acquisition of Family Dollar Moves closer to resolution, would-be acquirers Dollar Tree and Dollar General maintain widely differing views on the superiority of their respective offers and the opinion of federal regulators. The latest developments in the ongoing Family Dollar affair occurred December 5 when Dollar Tree and Dollar General... Read more »

December 5, 2014 Retail industry employment increased by 37,000 jobs in November, the National Retail Federation said today.  Consistent with seasonal hiring patterns, employment gains were seen in most retail categories, including a marked increase of 11,300 jobs in clothing and clothing accessories stores.  NRF does not include automobile dealerships, gasoline stations or restaurants in... Read more »

December 5, 2014 The economy generated 321,000 new jobs in November, much faster than the average six month change in recent months at 258,000 jobs.  This job report is an especially strong one because it combines with an increase in hourly earnings at 9 cents, which is consistent with the acceleration in wages in the... Read more »

November 26, 2014 Temperatures are forecast to trend warmer than last year for the U.S. as a whole.  However, the Southeast may see some cooler trends compared to last year.  There is high confidence that the Great Lakes, New England, and South Central states will trend warmer than last year.  Onshore flow in the West... Read more »

December 4, 2014 Even if Dollar General is unsuccessful in acquiring Family Dollar, the company plans to get bigger faster in 2015 by opening two stores every day and enhancing the productivity of an already expansive footprint. Dollar General said Thursday it will open 730 new stores in 2015 and enter new states such as... Read more »