Economy

February was a good month for U.S. retail, with increased sales month-over-month and year-over-year. Not counting automobile dealerships and gasoline stations, sales were up 0.28 percent from January and up 6.2 percent compared with February 2025, according to the National Retail Federation. The January-February numbers are seasonally adjusted, the year-over-year …

The Inland Empire industrial market definitely performed well in 2025. Fourteen of the 100 largest industrial leases in the United States last year were completed in either Riverside or San Bernardino County, the most of any major industrial market, according to CBRE. Collectively, those leases covered nearly 12 million square …

Fifty one percent of California’s real estate executives say they expect to see more commercial development statewide during the next three years, according to a report. That’s a 17 percent increase compared with last summer, according to the Winter 2026 Allen Matkins/UCLA Anderson Forecast, released Feb. 19. Twenty nine percent of …

Valentine’s Day is expected to generate record sales in 2026. An estimated $29.1 billon will be spent by on gifts, flowers and other items leading up to Feb. 14, above last year’s record of $27.5 billion, according to the National Retail Federation. Shoppers are planning to spend an average of …

The Inland Empire posted a 5.1 percent unadjusted unemployment rate in December, down from a revised 5.5 percent in November, according to the state Employment Development Department. Non-agricultural jobs in Riverside and San Bernardino counties increased by 1,000 month-over-month, with trade, transportation and utilities (+3,400) recording the largest increase in …

Retail sales nationwide surged during the last two months of 2025, as consumers continued to make holiday spending a priority despite some choppy economic waters. Sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 grew 4.1 percent compared with the last two months of 2024, to a little more than $1 trillion, …