Economy

Manufacturing in the Inland Empire is apparently back on track. The region’s purchasing managers index was 54.5 during December, four and half points above the benchmark for an expanding manufacturing sector. Most important, December was the third consecutive month that the index was 50 or above. Three consecutive months in …

It’s just not recovering as quickly, or as comprehensively, as most real estate professionals would like. While there is reason for some optimism, don’t look for any “spec” office construction in Riverside and San Bernardino counties this year. As 2015 begins, the Inland Empire office market is in much the …

A lot of people must have waited until the last minute this year to do their holiday shopping. Sales were up 3.1 percent for the week that ended Saturday compared with the same week in 2013, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store …

The number of U.S. residents seeking unemployment benefits dropped last week, a sign of continued job growth. Applications for unemployment benefits fell by 6,000 during that time to 289,000, the lowest level since late October, according to an Associated Press report. The four-week average fell by 750 applications to 298,750, …

One hundred and fifty seven million people in the United States worked at some point during 2013, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. About 63.5 percent of the non-institutional civilian population 16 years old and older worked at some time last year, down slightly from the 63.8 percent …

National retail sales experienced only a slight bump last week, the second full week of the holiday shopping season. Sales were up 1.1 percent year-over-year for the week that ended Saturday, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index, which was released …