In a result that exceeded economists’ estimates, November overall housing starts jumped an impressive 10.5% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.173 million units. Well over the revised October rate of 1.062 million units, it also exceeded the 1.007 … Continue reading
Probably the biggest news in business today is that the Federal Reserve Board hiked interest rates for the first time in almost a decade. Wall Street celebrated by driving up stock values in the wake of the news. Yet consumer … Continue reading
Outdoor Kitchens & Media Rooms are Out, Walk-in Closets & Programmable Thermostats are In The National Association of Home Builders has completed a comprehensive survey of home builders to learn what features home buyers are asking for in homes being … Continue reading
New data from market researcher Forrester Research Inc. suggests that retailers should forget about trying to attract millennials or other younger shoppers and instead shift gears to reach out to baby boomers. Why? Quite simply, that’s where the money is. … Continue reading
BREAKING NEWS Canadian tech industry website WiFiHiFi (wifihifi.ca) announced today that it has confirmed that Sharp Corp. will exit the Canadian TV market. Much in line with our recent reporting on the troubled brand, this is probably just the first … Continue reading
Out of Osaka, Japan we learn that Sharp Corp. is about to embark on a major restructuring of its business that will likely change the company in fundamental ways. Plans call for closing domestic factories – a first for Sharp … Continue reading
New data released by the Commerce Department showed an unexpectedly large drop in retail sales for the month of December. In fact, U.S. retail sales had their largest across-the-board drop in the past eleven months – plunging economists into vigorous … Continue reading
If you are like many of our readers, you are either a custom integrator or specialty AV retailer who serve the Affluent ($75,000 per year income and up) market. Two new pieces of market research provide colorful illumination of the … Continue reading
Saying that there is “rising uncertainty” with regards to the country’s debt situation, Moody’s has cut Japan’s credit rating. Yet another indicator of fundamental problems in one of the world’s most powerful economies, Japan’s problems go well beyond its dramatically … Continue reading
We were fortunate enough to receive an invitation from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) allowing us to participate in their annual Fall Construction Forecast presentation, a webinar put on for the benefit of their members last week. Boy! … Continue reading