Economy/Ecommerce
Economy Watch: Holiday Retail Sales Strong This Year
Holiday retail sales between Thanksgiving and Christmas—except for car sales— increased 5.5 percent this year compared to the same period last year, according to MasterCard’s SpendingPulse report.
Economy Watch: Most States See Unemployment Drop
Forty-one states and the District of Columbia saw unemployment rate decreases in November compared with October, three states suffered increases and six states experienced no change, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Economy Watch: No Real Hint of Interest Rate Increase from FOMC
Economists, pundits and other Fed-watchers had wondered, before the Federal Open Market Committee released its latest meeting minutes, exactly what would happen to two little words: “considerable time.” That is, would the central bank remove those words from its guidance about interest rates?
‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: Strong Retail Sales and Lower Gas Prices
Strong retail sales and lower gas prices, in time for the holidays.
Economy Watch: Homebuilders’ Optimism Edges Down
Following a four-point uptick last month, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes fell one point in December to 57 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
Economy Watch: Oil Continues Precipitous Price Drop
The price of crude oil, which is an international commodity, got another downward push when the energy minister of the UAE said that OPEC isn’t going to reverse its recent decision not to cut oil production, even if oil prices go as low as $40 a barrel.
Economy Watch: Retail Sales See Healthy Uptick
The Census Bureau reported that U.S. retail and food services sales for November came in at $449.3 billion, an increase of 0.7 percent from the previous month, and 5.1 percent above November 2013.