Tag Archives: economy

Consumer confidence is making strides, recovering from pre-government shutdown levels, according to the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index®. The index, which had decreased in November, rebounded in December, now standing at 78.1, up from 72.0 the month prior. “Consumer confidence rebounded …

Most retailers know there are just some things beyond their control. For those heavily selling building materials and lumber, constant changes in commodities pricing are almost always at the top of that list of variables. Between slowed domestic new-home construction …

Entrepreneur Bill Brown had scaled back his San Jose, Calif., construction firm as demand for new Silicon Valley homes and offices dried up in recent years, cutting his staff by two-thirds, to 50 by late 2011. But over the course …

Home prices are rising, and so are mortgage rates, making it tough for would-be buyers, particularly first-time purchasers, to close a deal on a new place. Meanwhile, the looming threats of new mortgage rules and pending housing-finance reform are adding …

The shortened holiday shopping season spurred consumer spending in November, as Americans took advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals to make holiday purchases, according to the National Retail Federation. November retail sales, excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants, …

The unemployment rate declined from 7.3 percent to 7.0 percent in November, and total non-farm payroll employment rose by 203,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in transportation and warehousing, health care and manufacturing. Both the …

An estimated 141 million unique shoppers shopped during Thanksgiving weekend, up from 139 million over the same time frame last year, according to the National Retail Federation. For those who shopped multiple times over the weekend, the survey estimated more …