Cited: Bloomberg
Today’s data on retail sales in the U.S. for December indicate that consumer spending might not be as robust as some had hoped for just a few short weeks ago. Retail sales in December rose a modest 0.1% on the heels of a 0.4% gain in November. The data was released to the financial community this morning from the Commerce Department. Analysts surveyed prior to the report were expecting retails sales to post a monthly gain of 0.3%. The weaker than forecast data was just one bit of financial information that has fueled a sell-off in stocks today.
For many retailers the news seems to confirm their perceptions that the U.S. consumer will have less discretionary income to spend on their products with the unemployment rate still stuck at 8.5% and while many are still carrying very high debt burdens in credit card balances, their mortgage, and automobile loans. For many of these families paying down this debt will come before spending. Another indicator that the consumer is not likely to add to their growing debt burden is the increase seen in the savings rate as people try to accumulate more funds rather than spend the money in retail outlets.
The sales data coupled with a weaker-than-expected weekly jobless claims report sent the S&P Index down 0.2%, putting an end to a three day rally in the equity markets. Also weighing on today’s market returns was weaker industrial production data from Europe with reports indicating that production fell for the third consecutive month in November. This is yet another signal that Euro-zone overall growth for Q4 is likely to be flat or negative.
The news on the retail sales front is not all bad because one month does not a trend make and retailers will tell you that 2011 was the best year for them since 1999. Sales at the nation’s retailers rose 7.7% for the year after rising 6.5% in 2010. And, flying in the face of today’s data for sales in December were strong automobile and truck sales, with the U.S auto makers continuing to show signs that the worst is behind them.
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My take:
Let’s see how the data shakes out going forward. If sales are down a bit to start the year but families are saving more money, that will bode well for a strong finish of 2012, especially if some of that savings is put into the marketplace after many of the unemployed find jobs. As everyone has noted, jobs are the key to the economy ever pulling out of the ditch and onto the highway again. It seems that now we have two front wheels on the pavement.
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Other Resources
Concrete Cracks in the Basement
One issue that a home owner might run into when they decide to refinish a basement are small hairline cracks in the cement that will need to be repaired by the Denver Colorado basement finishing before the rest of the work can commence regarding repairs in the overall system. Most basements will have a few small cracks in the cement, especially if they are over ten or twenty years old. One of the major reasons why concrete cracks must be repaired before further work is done on the area is because they can be a source of water seepage into the room if they aren’t repaired.
Getting a Leak Early
Taking care of a home is a big responsibility and for anyone who owns a home, it’s likely that having a few inspectors over each year to investigate certain parts of the home is an important way to make sure that no unexpected issues end up impacting the house that could end up in costly Oklahoma roof repair down the road. One of the difficult things about many repair options is the fact that sometimes problems don’t show up immediately and this means that when they finally are repaired that there would be a lot greater cost associated with those repairs.
More Companies Go Stainless
There has been an interesting movement within the manufacturing industry of construction materials to move toward additional types of stainless steel building options and this has included things like stainless steel bolts, fittings that are also created from stainless steel and various fasteners which have all become available in stainless steel versions. Many construction companies have realized that when they create stainless steel options that they will be offering their customers a much longer lasting construction option and that this type of longevity in building should offer some enhancement to current customer levels when people start searching for long lasting construction options.
Updating Plumbing in an Old Home
Fixing up an old home can be a lot of fun, but before a significant amount of work is done on the place it’s usually a good idea to look into whether the plumbing needs some work. Often in very old homes the plumbing is not otherwise one of the easiest things to fix without doing some significant work with Los Angeles plumbing contractors and it is generally impossible for a home owner who doesn’t already have experiencing in plumbing work accomplish the work on his own. Out of all the repairs on an old house, plumbing is often the most extensive.
New Condos Feature Wood
There are a number of places where new construction of condos and homes is going up and the neat thing is that those new residences aren’t going completely modern with their accoutrements and are actually installing things like wood counters and cabinets to create a more classic, refined look for the residence’s style. Wood countertops can be made of an extensive different number of woods and there’s generally a specific color and style of food that’s perfect for any type of interior where a specific style is what the new home owner or construction builder might be after.
What Many Retreats have in Common
It’s not unexpected that some retreats would be religion based while others would be of a more non-denominational style but something that’s interesting to many people who attend various spiritual retreats is that often the actual religion that is observed doesn’t need to be the same as that of the person attending the event. Often things like John of God’s healing trips will suggest various methods of spiritual healing that have much more to do with personal spirituality than a specific set of religious rules found in a book somewhere. Opening the mind to true spiritual healing does not require adherence to a specific denomination.
Small vs Large Project Management
There are a number of considerations regarding property management that will impact more than just very large properties. One thing that does impact the various projects undertaken by Huntington Beach rental property management firms is the idea that the investment required of a smaller property is such that if a proper management company isn’t hired, it doesn’t matter. This is generally untrue as in the long run, if a property is known for not offering the best experience possible for a tenant then it is likely that they will start to lose money after a while when tenants do not stay for long.
Keeping Track of Supplies
Although it might not seem like an important job, making sure that a restaurant doesn’t lose its important dishes and silverware is actually important and sometimes the restaurant supply will suddenly run out when an owner realizes that he’s short for table settings and hasn’t otherwise been looking at the average loss of utensils. It’s a good idea to always assign someone to keep track of the hardware and different types of items owned by a restaurant because it’s not that unusual to have items actually stolen intentionally and unintentionally over the course of several months of dining.
Wearing Other Dresses
Sometimes when there’s a party in the works it can be fun to wear something unexpected for the event and for an event that is in the evening, it can be fun to consider day dresses that will offer up the chance to wear a completely unexpected color combination. For example, sometimes it can be fun to wear a dress that’s a light or sunny color to an evening event along with some nice jewelry to accessorize to dress the outfit up a bit. Most dresses designed for day wear can be shown some jewelry and look fantastic at night.
Using Expensive Golf Clubs
There are a lot of reasons why golf can become an obsession and one interesting facet of golf is the fact that some people tend to spend thousands of dollars on their golf clubs and other accessories and this can get extremely expensive after a while because there are some rather expensive clubs out there that require quote a hefty checkbook in order to obtain. But not everyone is so eager to spend a huge amount of money on clubs. The good thing is that a set of clubs doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank in order to play well.