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December 1, 2014 New Orders, Employment and Production Growing; Inventories Growing; Supplier Deliveries Slowing Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in November for the 18th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 66th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The report was issued... Read more »

November 20, 2014 As Dollar Tree moves forward with its acquisition of Family Dollar, the company reported an increase in same-store sales and expressed a favorable holiday outlook. Dollar Tree’s earnings per share increased 19% to $0.69 and its revenue increased 11.2% to $2.1 billion compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2013; these results... Read more »

December 1, 2014 Fewer Americans shopped and they spent less money during the Thanksgiving weekend, according to new estimates from the National Retail Federation. Early holiday promotions, the continued growth of online shopping, and an improving economy changed the way millions of people approached the biggest shopping weekend of the year, according to NRF’s Thanksgiving... Read more »

November 25, 2014 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had rebounded in October, declined in November.  The index now stands at 88.7, down from 94.1 in October.  The Present Situation Index declined from 94.4 to 91.3, while the Expectations Index decreased sharply to 87.0 from 93.8 in October. Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators... Read more »

November 20, 2014 The Multifamily Production Index (MPI), released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reached 54 in the third quarter, four points below the previous quarter’s reading.  This is the 11th quarter with a reading of 50 or above. The MPI measures builder and developer sentiment about current conditions in the... Read more »

November, 2014 The biggest shopping weekend of the year is only days away and retailers are gearing up for another Thanksgiving weekend of holiday shopping and promotions. Since the recession, retailers competing for shopping dollars and market share have had to rethink tried-and-true holiday marketing strategies.  Good prices, great value, unique product assortment and convenience... Read more »

November 19, 2014 Single family housing production in October reached its highest level since November 2013 while the more volatile multifamily sector brought combined nationwide starts activity down 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.009 million units, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and... Read more »

November 20, 2014 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index for the U.S. increased 0.9 percent in October to 105.2, following a 0.7 percent increase in September, and no change in August. “The LEI rose sharply in October, with all components gaining over the previous six months,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The Conference Board.  “Despite... Read more »

November 20, 2014 Americans are readying for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend by making sure they have a menu for their family gathering and a complete shopping list for their weekend shopping activities.  According to NRF’s Thanksgiving Weekend Expectations survey, which provides a preliminary look at shopping expectations over Thanksgiving weekend, six in 10 (61.1%) say... Read more »