Cold March Keeps Shoppers’ Spending Tepid
NEW YORK — So much for new spring shorts and T-shirts. As cold weather lingered across most of the country, Americans shopped modestly in March. U.S. retailers reported a key revenue figure rose slightly during the month, as shoppers held back on spending because of the cold weather across the nation, particularly the Midwest and East Coast, and continued fears about the economy. Economists monitor consumer spending because it accounts for more than 70 percent of economic activity. According to a preliminary tally of 15 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers, revenue in stores open at least a year rose 1.6 percent, or 2.5 percent excluding drugstores. That was below expectations, said Michael Niemira, chief economist at the ICSC. Weather was a factor, with March being the coldest in seven years. The comparison with last March was especially tough. Last year saw the warmest March on record, according to weather research firm Planalytics Inc. “Wintry weather conditions ...
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Economy Gains Steam Adding 236,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Falls to 7.7%
For some time time now, the American economy has been a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, we’re in the midst of an historically strong four-year bull market, yet the unemployment rate remains stubbornly high. The real estate market is showing impressive strength, yet GDP growth is sluggish. The result is a situation where consumers, businesses, and even the government have become overly cautious, each waiting for the other to make the first move before they start behaving like we’re in a real recovery. Last month, however, the situation began to look a bit brighter. The Labor Department announced that the economy added 157,000 jobs in January, but revised its previous estimates to show that job growth in the later half of 2012 was much better than expected. And this morning’s report — which shows that the economy added 236,000 jobs in February, and that the unemployment rate fell to 7.7% — is more evidence that the thawing of the labor market has picked up speed of late. Looking ...
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Europe’s Crisis Measures Are Working…Sort Of
Last week’s deal to avoid Greece defaulting on its huge debt is the latest twist in Europe’s painful, drawn-out saga to rescue the euro and, with it, all hopes of bringing its economies into a true union. The focus remains on a mixture of short-term fixes to avoid a breakdown of the single currency, and complicated longer-term measures such as the establishment of a banking union. But stepping back for a moment, it’s useful to look at the impact of all the measures that have been decided and implemented, both in national capitals and at a pan-European level, in an endless series of emergency meetings and carefully constructed communiqués. Have they actually made a difference? The short answer is that the economic picture throughout Europe still looks very gloomy, and in fact is getting even gloomier, with recession continuing across the continent and unemployment continuing to rise. At the same time, the draconian measures undertaken by governments in Greece, Spain, Ireland, and elsewhere ...
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The U.S. Economy Adds 171,000 Jobs in October, but Challenges Remain
Here it is, folks: The final jobs report before the 2012 Presidential Election. The Labor Department announced this morning that the U.S. economy added 171,000 jobs in October, and that the unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of one percent to 7.9%, besting the consensus prediction of 125,000 new jobs. And with the announcement, the government’s monthly Employment Situation Report can now revert back to its usual status of being just another data point among many which help paint a picture of the state of the economy. Sure, payroll data will always get more attention than, say, GDP growth, because it’s more tangible to the lives of news readers. But like much else in a heated election season, this number was elevated to mean much more than it was ever intended to: a numerical indicator of the President’s success as a policy maker. This is silly for many reasons, not the least of which being that national economies are much more than the sum of its various public policies. Presidents ...
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Is the U.S. Waging a War on Savers?
A recent consumer survey found that 41% of respondents had less than $500 in savings available on short notice. And the more comprehensive Survey of Consumer Finances released by the Federal Reserve in June calculated that only 52% of American families are earning more than they spend – that’s the lowest figure in 20 years. Moreover, the Fed found that fewer than 40% of families save money on a regular basis (as opposed to putting away a year-end bonus, say). So one has to wonder, is there a reason so many people are failing to save? And more specifically, are there misguided government policies that actually discourage saving? There are, of course, perfectly good reasons that people are unable to put money away. Despite more than three years of economic recovery, many Americans still face tight monthly budgets. Wages adjusted for inflation have fallen in six of the past 12 months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Moreover, real average weekly earnings are down 1.3% over ...
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