Consumers caught a break in May, when consumer prices fell for the second straight month, largely due to a drop in energy costs. In more downbeat news, the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week after three weeks of declines, suggesting that hiring remains weak. The New York Times Jun. 17, 2010
Consumer Prices Fall for Second Straight Month, But Jobless Benefits Claims Rise
Geography, Research, Trends, Forecasts, USA
Comments Off
Jun 172010
Apr 082010
In March, every major retailing category posted significant sales increases, handily beating the 6.3% increase expected by analysts in a Thomson Reuters poll. True, an early Easter helped March (and may hurt April) and the comparisons were with a dismal 2009 number. Still, observers point to other additional signs that consumers are coming out of their shells and even trading up for the first time in a long time. In a bit of contrary, bad news, claims for jobless benefits rose last week. The New York Times Apr. 8, 2010
