And now for something completely different
Issue Number
March 2006
Highlights from this month's issue:
- As expected, the Federal Reserve hiked the fed funds rate by another 25 basis points to 4.75 percent in late March.
- Two recent data releases likely contributed to the Fed’s decision to keep raising rates. The employment data for February showed that the labor market is continuing to tighten. And the industrial production results for February showed that capacity utilization rose to 81.2 percent, which is slightly above the long-term average rate of 81 percent.
- For retailers, sales growth turned negative in February as payback from January’s torrid pace. Seasonally adjusted nonauto sales declined 0.4 percent from January.
This report also looks at 2005 results for 38 retail categories, along with annual e-commerce and tourism sales. It also analyzes longer-term trends in consumer net worth. Over the last several years, rising home prices have produced a sharp increase in net worth. In contrast, the value of consumers’ stock holdings remains below the high set back in 1999.
Attachments
Consumer Business Economic Update (120 KB)
Monthly economic newsletter for the Consumer Business industries.
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Last Updated: March 31, 2006
Source: Deloitte & Touche USA LLP - United States (English)