In February 2025, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Mint would stop minting pennies, citing their high production cost. According to the U.S. Mint, it cost 3.7 cents to make one penny in 2024. Now, retailers across the country …
Read More »Tag Archives: economics
Federal Reserve Announces Another Rate Cut
In support of its goals and in light of the shift in the balance of risks, the Federal Reserve decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by ¼ percentage point to 3 ¾ to 4%, the …
Read More »Walmart Net Sales, Comp Sales Increase in Q2
Walmart released its Q2 fiscal year 2026 financial results, posting new sales of $120.9 billion, a 4.8% increase year over year. Comparable sales for the second quarter were $5.5 billion, a 0.4% increase year over year. Walmart attributes the increase …
Read More »Fed Keeps Rates Steady as Economy Slows
The Federal Reserve kept its rates unchanged as it waits for information on how tariffs and other economic disruptions will affect the economy. The Fed still expects to cut rates twice this year, as growth slows and unemployment increases. In …
Read More »Home Improvement Market Growth Slows Amid Economic Headwinds
The total home improvement market is projected to grow 3.4% in 2025, a reduction from the 5% growth projected in the Home Improvement Research Institute’s (HIRI) June outlook. HIRI announced findings from its latest U.S. Size of the Home Improvement …
Read More »Fed Cuts Interest Rates in Third Straight Meeting
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for its third straight meeting, this time by 25 basis points to 4.25%-4.50%. It also issued projections calling for two quarter-point interest rate cuts in 2025 amid rising inflation. Members of the committee say …
Read More »How Housing Could Lead an Economic Rebound
As news hit that the U.S. gross domestic product—a measurement of the production of goods and services—contracted 32.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports housing could be on the frontlines of …
Read More »U.S. Unemployment Rate Falls to 13.3% in May
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report Friday showing the U.S. economy gained 2.5 million jobs in May, bringing the U.S. unemployment rate to 13.3 percent for the month, lower than April’s unemployment rate of 14.7 percent. Friday’s …
Read More »
Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information



