Economy

May was another strong month for retail nationwide, with sales rising for the eighth consecutive month despite higher gas prices and persistent inflation. Total sales were up 0.42 percent compared with April and 7.2 percent in May 2025, according to the CNBC/National Retail Federation Retail Monitor. Those numbers did not …

The Inland Empire posted a 4.9 percent unemployment in April, down from a revised 5.1 percent in March and above the five percent prediction of one year earlier, according to the state Employment Development Department. That compared with five percent unemployment in California and four percent nationwide, the department reported. …

The Inland Empire posted a 5.1 percent unemployment rate in March, essentially unchanged from February and within one percent of the forecast of March 2025, according to a report. Between February and March, non-agricultural employment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties increased by 4,900 jobs, to a total of 1,715,600 …

Mother’s Day spending is expected to reach a record $38 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation. If that prediction is accurate, it will top last year’s $34.1 billion, and surpass the current record of $35.7 billion set in 2023, the federation reported. “Mother’s Day remains a priority …

The Inland Empire recorded a 5.4 percent unemployment rate in February, essentially unchanged from the previous month, according to the state Employment Development Department. Between January and February, total non-agricultural employment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties declined by 12,300 jobs, to 1,710,700 jobs, the department reported. Trade, transportation, and …

The Inland Empire recorded a 5.4 percent unemployment rate in January, up from a revised 5.1 percent in December, according to the state Employment Development Department. Non-agricultural employment in Riverside and San Bernardino counties fell by 23,600 jobs during the first month of 2025, while agriculture lost 700 jobs, the …