Previous 10 | Next 10 |
The economic restart has lifted commodity prices. Beyond that, we see structural trends leading to a divergence of fortunes in different commodities. The International Monetary Fund has raised its global growth forecast to 6% in 2021. U.S. stocks hit record highs and yields traded bel...
As economies emerge from pandemic restrictions, consumers are shifting spending from goods to more travel and dining out. While there are reasons for optimism, a long-term economic boom is still very much a question. Blu Putnam and Erik Norland discuss the prospects for a 2020s ec...
Demand for the latest fashion trends is always strong in the weeks leading up to Easter, a time when retailers are still selling the season's must-have Spring items at full price. The current average promotional discount for online stores is 34.2% and has dropped below the 2020 pandem...
Consumer confidence has yet to reach the higher pre-pandemic level, but it is moving up from its low after not declining as much as it did during the financial crisis. Two big ticket purchases for the consumer are a home and an automobile. As is the case with housing, auto invento...
Grocery is an enormous retail segment, with $658.1 billion in annual sales projected in 2021, the second-largest retail trade segment. In a way, Instacart has become the Amazon of Supermarkets with a twist — enabling third party sellers to share in the benefit of their platform...
One reason behind rising interest rate fears is that import prices continue to rise. Overall, import prices have risen 3% in the past 12 months, so inflationary pressures continue to build. Export prices rose 1.6% in February, following a 2.5% surge in January. In the past 12 months, ...
The U.S. has mobilized the largest COVID-19 vaccination rollout of any country in the world. For consumers, returning to the physical world doesn't seem to be based on state governments lifting restrictions, or their reassurances that there will be enough supply for all adults who wan...
Investor sentiment and behavior, whether retail or institutional, capture the market "mood"-is it optimistic or pessimistic? The three most commonly referenced confidence indicators are the University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index...
Total industrial production declined by -2.2% in February, while manufacturing production declined -3.1%. Both of these were the first declines of any significance since last April. Nominal retail sales declined -3.0%. After adjusting by the CPI, real retail sales declined -3.4%. ...
While the global inflation picture remains fixed at firmly normal (as in, disinflationary), US retail sales by contrast have been highly abnormal. Overall IP was down 2.2% in February 2021 when compared to January, which represented a recession-like 4.2% lower level versus February 20...