Resources

September 30, 2014 The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had increased in August, declined in September.  The Index now stands at 86.0, down from 93.4 in August.  The Present Situation Index decreased to 89.4 from 93.9, while the Expectations Index dropped to 83.7 from 93.1 in August. Says Lynn Franco, Director of Economic Indicators... Read more »

September 29, 2014 For the U.S. as a whole, temperatures will trend similar to last year and below normal, but there will be a split in trends across the nation with warmer temperatures in the West and cooler temperatures in the more densely populated East.  The month will begin with warm weather across much of... Read more »

September 24, 2014 According to Deloitte’s annual retail holiday sales forecast, steadily improving economic fundamentals should moderately boost holiday sales in stores and online this year. “Income, wage and job growth are positive indicators heading into the holiday season,” said Daniel Bachman, Deloitte’s senior U.S. economist.  “Debt levels remain at historical lows, and stock market... Read more »

September 24, 2014 Sales of newly built, single-family homes increased 18 percent in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 504,400 units in August, the highest level in six years, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. “This jump in sales activity... Read more »

September 24, 2014 More costumes than ever will be flying off the shelves as Americans gear up to celebrate the spookiest holiday of the year, according to NRF’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey.  More than two-thirds (67.4%) of celebrants will buy Halloween costumes for the holiday, the most in the survey’s 11 year history.  The average... Read more »

September 23, 2014 Following fourth quarter results that missed Wall Street expectations, Ascena Retail is looking ahead to fiscal 2015, which CEO David Jaffe said will see the continuation of a critical, multi-year investment to build the company’s omnichannel platform. The company reported net earnings of $15.7 million, compared with $29.8 million in the year-ago... Read more »

September 19, 2012 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.2 percent in August to 103.8, following a 1.1 percent increase in July, and a 0.7 percent increase in June. “The LEI continued to rise in August, although at a slower rate than in July,” said Ataman Ozyildirim, Economist at The... Read more »

September 19, 2014 Investors don’t seem to care that Home Depot’s data breach is being characterized as the largest ever in the retail sector with shares of the company hitting a new high on Friday. Home Depot shares touched a 52-week high of $93.75 on Friday, a day after the company disclosed details about an... Read more »

September 19, 2014 The merger between Albertsons and Safeway is expected to close in a few months and when it does the combined company already has a new senior leadership and field operations structure in place. The companies late Friday announced key leadership positions it said drew on strong talent within both organizations to build... Read more »