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October 17, 2014 For the third time this year, nationwide housing starts surpassed the million-mark, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.  Total housing production in September rose 6.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.017 million units. “These numbers show... Read more »

Average shopper to do 44% of their holiday shopping online, most in survey’s history. October 16, 2014 It’s the most wonderful time of the year for millions of Americans, and according to the National Retail Federation’s Holiday Consumer Spending Survey, gift recipients are in for a real treat this holiday season.  NRF’s survey found the... Read more »

October 16, 2014 Reflecting the slow pace of recovery in the overall housing market, the home remodeling industry is expected to continue its path of moderating growth, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released today by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.  The LIRA... Read more »

October 15, 2014 A delayed start to the shopping season is causing consumers to postpone their holiday purchases until Thanksgiving weekend. Sixteen percent of consumers had already started their holiday shopping, versus 15% last year.  An additional 19% stated they plan to start shopping before Thanksgiving, compared to 22% last year.  However, 18% claim they... Read more »

October 16, 2014 After four consecutive monthly gains, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell five points to a level of 54 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market (HMI), released today. “We are seeing a return to the mid-50s index level trend established earlier in the summer,... Read more »

October 15, 2014 A much anticipated acceleration of small format Walmart stores failed to materialize on Wednesday when the retailer announced plans to curtail domestic new store growth in 2016. Walmart said it would open between 200 and 220 Neighborhood Market stores and 60 to 70 supercenters next year.  Both figures are below the company’s... Read more »

October 15, 2014 The National Retail Federation calculates that September retail sales – excluding automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants – decreased 0.1 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month yet increased 4.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year.  While seasonal factors were apparent, especially in August’s downward revision, the drop-off in retail sales was worse than expected. “Retail sales were surprisingly... Read more »

October 14, 2014 A recent study from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) revealed significant regional differences in new single-family home characteristics, ranging from price, design features, building materials and even financing.  The new findings come from analysis of the 2013 Census Bureau Survey of Construction. Of the homes built for sale, the most... Read more »

October 10, 2014 Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to see a final surge and set a new monthly record in October as the holiday season approaches, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released late this week by the National Retail Federation. “Increasing congestion at the nation’s... Read more »