Economy

Retail sales nationwide rose for the ninth consecutive month in June, the National Retail Federation reported. Total retail sales, not counting automobiles and gasoline stations, were up 0.33 percent month-over-month and up 9.4 percent year-over-year during the sixth month of the year, the federation reported. The month-over-month number was seasonally …

The Inland Empire posted a 4.6 unemployment rate May, down 0.3 percent month-over-month, but below the 4.9 percent estimate of one year ago, according to the state Employment Development Department. During the same period, California’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent, while the national unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. None of …

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 …