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J.C. Penney Stock Soars 20% with High Year-End Sales Growth
07 Jan, 2015 • Helen Thomas
Although analysts had projected retail growth in December to average 2.7%, J.C. Penney reports that sales rose 3.7% for the last 9 weeks leading up to the end of December. That compares to 3.1% growth for the same time period last year. Last year at this time, Penney did not disclose sales results, which... Read more »
New Home Sales Fall 1.6 Percent In November
06 Jan, 2015 • Helen Thomas
December 23, 2014 Sales of newly built, single-family homes dropped 1.6 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 438,000 units, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “Though home sales have edged slightly lower, builders are reporting confidence in the... Read more »
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Bounces Back
06 Jan, 2015 • Helen Thomas
December 30, 2014 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had declined in November, improved in December. The Index now stands at 92.6, up from 91.0 in November. The Present Situation Index rose to 98.6 from 93.7, while the Expectations Index decreased to 88.5 from 89.3 in November. Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators... Read more »
eBiz versus Accelerated Analytics
01 Jan, 2015 • Helen Thomas
Retail POS data holds the key to how your products are performing on a store level. EBiz gives you some basics but Accelerated Analytics offers so much more. See the difference!
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index For The U.S. Increased Again – December 18
19 Dec, 2014 • Helen Thomas
December 18, 2014 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.6 percent in November to 105.5, following a 0.6 percent increase in October, and a 0.8 percent increase in September. “The increase in the LEI signals continued moderate growth through the winter season,” said Ken Goldstein, Economist at The Conference Board. ... Read more »
Housing Production Falls 1.6 Percent In November
18 Dec, 2014 • Helen Thomas
December 16, 2014 Following an upwardly revised rate last month, housing starts in November slipped 1.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.028 million units, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. Three-month moving averages for total and single-family production were... Read more »
Slow Compensation Growth Boosts Competitiveness Of U.S. Manufacturing
17 Dec, 2014 • Helen Thomas
December 17, 2014 Anemic growth in worker compensation since the start of the decade has substantially strengthened the cost advantages of U.S. manufacturing against other mature economies, according to data on 34 countries released today by the International Labor Comparisons (ILC) progrm of The Conference Board. In 2013 (the last year for which data is... Read more »
Early Holiday Promotions Help Put Shoppers Ahead On Their Shopping Lists
17 Dec, 2014 • Helen Thomas
December 17, 2014 Half of Consumers Polled Will Wrap Up Christmas Shopping Online For millions of Americans the rush to find the perfect gift started early this year, and according to the National Retail Federation’s latest Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, the average holiday shopper has completed 52.9 percent of their shopping as of December 10,... Read more »
Lowe’s CEO: Our Transformation Is Gaining Momentum
16 Dec, 2014 • Helen Thomas
December 11, 2014 Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock cited the recovering U.S. economy as among the reasons why the company plans to focus more on market differentiation and omnichannel retailing. The company said it will outline these and other strategic priorities in a meeting with investors on December 11 in North Carolina. “We’re at a great... Read more »