Economy

The Fourth of July looked like Christmas to some U.S. retailers. Sales were up 1.7 percent for the week that ended Saturday compared with the previous week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. Year-over-year, sales were up a robust 3.3 …

As expected, the Inland Empire’s industrial market remained strong during the second quarter of 2014. Industrial vacancy was 5.6 percent during that three-month period, down from 5.82 percent during the second quarter of 2013, according to Voit Real Estate Services’ second quarter report. About 4.7 million square feet of construction …

Manufacturing in the Inland Empire is definitely growing. The purchasing managers index for June was 53.5, the third consecutive month the index was above 50, according to the Institute of Applied Research and Policy Analysis at Cal State University San Bernardino. Three consecutive months establishes a trend, and anything 50 …

National retail sales are definitely on the upswing. Sales were up one percent for the week that ended Saturday compared with the previous week, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs Weekly Chain Store Sales Index. The really good news, however, was the year-over-year number: up …

Hourly workers in California will soon see a slight bump in their paychecks. Effective Today, the state’s mandatory minimum wage will go from $8 to $9 per hour, the first increase in six years. The increase, which was introduced in a bill by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Salinas, in 2012, will …

For the first time in seven years, more Californians than not say they’re better off financially now than they were one year ago. However, those same residents remain concerned about the state’s economy and say it is still difficult to find a job where they live, according to the results …