Market Insights

Last month Upfront defended the Marketplace Fairness Act.

Some of you sent kind notes indicating appreciation for remarks in support of a level tax-playing field for online and brick-and-mortar retailers. In doing so, you revealed your fair-minded nature.

Not everyone agreed with every bullet point, however.

"I feel your Upfront piece in the May 2013 issue dismissed the complex issue with a toss-off answer," wrote one reader.

An article about a lawsuit over religious discrimination and Sunday hours led to the following reader letters: 

“If I am an applicant seeking a job from a business that is open seven days a week, and I firmly believe that working on Sunday or Saturday would conflict with my religious beliefs I have two options:

Research firm expects thousand-percent growth by 2020.

After an uptick in July, the Consumer Confidence Index issued by The Conference Board fell to 44.5, down from a downwardly revised 59.2 reading in July. 

The August figure is the lowest since April 2009 when the index was 40.8.

Commentary: Change is coming faster than expected to the grocery chain with a price-perception problem.

Consumer spending for June dropped 0.2% to $21.9 billion, the Commerce Department announced Tuesday. 

The drop in consumer spending marked the first decline seen since September 2009.

Meanwhile, personal income was virtually flat, increasing 0.1% to $18.7 billion for the month, which was in line with estimates.

The American Hardware Manufacturers Association’s AHMA Home Improvement Industry Confidence Index’s Current Situation Index improved in May to 312.5 from 308.3 in April (October 2008 = 100), while the Future Expectations Index fell to 229.3 from 239.7.

In comparing current sales levels with year-ago levels, 75% of respondents said sales were higher in May versus year-ago levels, up from 74% in April. For May, 12% reported sales were even, and 12% said sales were below year-ago levels.

Regarding Department of Labor Wage and Hour Compliance, Be Careful What You Wish For