Economy

U.S. retailers are probably looking forward to Wednesday when income tax season officially ends. Sixty six percent of all U.S. consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year, according to data released Monday by the International Council of Shopping Centers. When asked how they plan to spend their extra …

The U.S. job market went flat in March, as the economy added only 126,000 jobs while the unemployment rate was static. That was the lowest number of jobs added in a month since December 2013, ending a streak of 12 consecutive months of 200,000-plus job gains, according to data released …

The number of people in the United States seeking unemployment benefits dropped substantially last week. Weekly applications for jobless help fell 20,000 to a seasonally adjusted 268,000, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. That drop shows the job market remains strong despite a slowdown in …

Manufacturing in the Inland Empire remained strong during March. The region’s purchasing managing index last month was 59, virtually unchanged from February and the sixth consecutive month the index was above 50, according to the Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at Cal State San Bernardino. The institute publishes …

California’s unemployment dropped in February. Employers throughout the state added 29,400 jobs during the second month of the year, as the state’s jobless rate fell to 6.7 percent, according to data released Friday by the state Employment Development Department. The jobless rate was down from seven percent during the previous …

The Inland Empire is again one of the fastest growing regional economies in California and has replaced all of the jobs it lost during the recession. That was the message delivered Thursday by Inland economist during his annual assessment of the region’s economy, according to multiple published reports. This year’s …