California added 58,100 non-agricultural jobs in January, enough to account for 16.5 percent of the nation’s job growth, according to data released March 8. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 5.2 percent during the first month of the year, up from 5.1 percent in December and from 4.5 percent …
Read More »Inflation cools, but private label items in grocery stores remain hot
Inflation is down, but one result of the battle with higher prices during the past several years – a growth in the popularity of private-label items in grocery stores – doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. In fact, it might be getting stronger. In 2023, private-label items were the “brightest …
Read More »Retail performs well in January
U.S. retail sales are off to a good start in 2024. Total sales, not counting automobiles and gasoline, in January were essentially unchanged month-over-month and were up 2.3 percent compared with January 2023, according to the National Retail Federation. “January sales continued the strong performance of retail sales in December, …
Read More »State exports drop slightly
California’s share of U.S. exports was essentially unchanged in December – 8.9 percent – compared with the previous two months, according to a report released Feb. 7. The state’s s export trade during the final month of last year was worth $14.883 billion, down 2.2 percent year-over-year, while exports of …
Read More »Super Bowl expected to attract record number of TV viewers
A record 200.5 million people will watch the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49’ers do battle in Sunday’s Super Bowl, according to the National Retail Federation in Washington, D.C. About 112 million people will host or attend a Super Bowl party, and another 16 million say they plan …
Read More »Office market posts mixed numbers
The Inland Empire office market recorded 9.5 percent vacancy during the fourth quarter of 2023, a year-over-year increase of little more than one percent, according to data released Monday. Despite that, “the Inland Empire office market has upheld robust market fundamentals by catering to its primarily local population,” which has …
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