Boozman Urges Biden Administration to Prioritize U.S. Trade and Agriculture Agenda

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; joined Senators John Thune (R-SD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; and Mike Crapo (R-ID), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, in leading a group of Republican members of the Finance and Agriculture Committees on a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging them to prioritize market access initiatives as...

NRF Chief Economist Says Economy Has ‘Strong Momentum’ Despite Challenges From Inflation and Ukraine

Top challenges have shifted from COVID-19 to inflation and the war in Ukraine, but the U.S. economy will continue to face uncertainties in the year ahead, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“While the public health situation has greatly improved, the impact of the pandemic continues to spread,” Kleinhenz said. “That ripple has extended into 2022 and includes a disproportionate impact from inflation reaching a 40-year high brought about by strong consumer demand interacting with restricted supply...”

NRF Chief Economist Says Growth Likely to Continue Even as Fed Works to Slow Inflation

Coming up on two years since the short-lived 2020 recession, the United States appears to be at the midpoint of an economic cycle that should continue to see growth even as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to bring inflation under control, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today.

“The maturing economy remains in growth mode and there is good reason to expect it will soon approach normal trends,” Kleinhenz said. “Despite ongoing challenges, we are clearly still in an..."

NRF Chief Economist Says Vaccination is ‘Key to Further Economic Recovery’

The economy is growing quickly but its future still depends on slowing the coronavirus pandemic as consumers worry about new variants of the virus, National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said today. Meanwhile, a labor shortage and supply chain disruptions are setting the stage for increased inflation.

“We are now in the second half of 2021 and the economy has heated up along with the summer temperatures,” Kleinhenz said. “Gross domestic product surpassed its pre-crisis peak during the second quarter and...

Consumer Confidence Relatively Unchanged in July

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index was relatively unchanged in July, following gains in each of the prior five months. The Index now stands at 129.1 (1985=100), up from 128.9 in June. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—rose from 159.6 to 160.3. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—was virtually unchanged at 108.4, compared to 108.5 last month.

Consumer confidence was flat in July but remains at its highest level since February 2020 (132.6),” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ appraisal of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting...

ANALYSIS: May’s Turkey Trade Volume Underscores Global Economic Revival

By just about every measure, the latest turkey export figures bring with them signs of encouragement for turkey marketers, as well as...

Consumer Confidence Improved Further in June 

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® improved further in June, following gains in each of the previous four months. The Index now stands at 127.3 (1985=100), up from 120.0 (an upward revision) in May. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—rose from 148.7 to 157.7. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—improved to 107.0, up from 100.9 last month.

“Consumer confidence increased in June and is currently at its highest level since the onset of the pandemic’s first surge in March 2020,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions...

Retail Sales to Now Exceed $4.44 Trillion in 2021, as NRF Revises Annual Forecast

The National Retail Federation issued its revised annual forecast for 2021, anticipating that retail sales will now grow between 10.5 percent and 13.5 percent to more than $4.44 trillion this year as the economy accelerates its pace of recovery.

“The economy and consumer spending have proven to be much more resilient than initially forecasted,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “The combination of vaccine distribution, fiscal stimulus and private-sector ingenuity have put millions of Americans back to work. While there are downside risks related to worker shortages, an overheating economy, tax increases and over-regulation, overall households are healthier, and consumers are demonstrating...

A Strong but Changed Retail Industry Looks to the Future

The retail industry is now doing better than many retailers expected last year as stores, offices, and schools shut down across the country. In fact, compared to last year, discretionary retail sales revenue in the U.S grew 17% from January 1 through May 8, 2021, according to The NPD Group. Even more strikingly, retail sales increased 18% over 2019. Growth in the U.S. economy continues to rise as vaccination rates increase and as more consumers, as well as businesses and schools, begin to map their post-pandemic paths forward.

A recent “Future of Style” event, hosted by The NPD group, explored the major trends affecting global industries, including...

Consumer Confidence Holds Steady in May

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® held steady in May, following a gain in April. The Index now stands at 117.2 (1985=100), down marginally from 117.5 in April. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—increased from 131.9 to 144.3. However, the Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—fell to 99.1 in May, down from 107.9 last month.

The monthly Consumer Confidence Survey®, based on an online sample, is conducted for The Conference Board by Toluna, a technology company that delivers real-time consumer insights and market research through...