Maybe "Santa rally" in economy will bring copier customers
The U.S. economy is moving into the holidays with 15 months of job growth, rising stock prices and oil prices dropping. Maybe the "Santa rally" Wall Street investors want could result in end-of-year copier-printer sales boost, but only time will tell.
The U.S. economy added 2.2 million jobs since August 2003. The unemployment rate of 5.4 percent didn't increase from October to November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Percentages since July are below the first half of 2004. Total employment in November grew by 483,000 to 140.3 million, or 62.5 percent of the U.S. population age 16 and over.
Consumer spending is expected to grow by 3-4 percent this season, literally fueled by a recent drop in energy prices. The U.S. monthly average pump price for regular gasoline averaged $1.91 nationally by early December, down 11 cents per gallon from November, but up by 28 percent in the past year. Oil prices have dropped more than 20 percent since reaching $55.65 a barrel on Oct. 27, but are forecasted to increase the first six months of 2005. Costs of petroleum-related goods are continuing to rise; home heating oil has increased by about a third over the winter of 2003.
Treasury note yields have risen in the waning months of 2004. The Dow Jones, NASDAQ and Standard & Poor's 500 indexes are up, overall, by at least 1 percent in December. Such department stores as JCPenney are reportedly showing increases of shoppers.
And Web sites shoppers are active. The eSpending Report by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Harris Interactive and Nielsen/NetRatings' Holiday Dec.13 showed 27 percent of U.S. online consumers had finished shopping and spent $12.7 billion online, not including travel.
will bring copier customers
The U.S. economy is moving into the holidays with 15 months of job growth, rising stock prices and oil prices dropping. Maybe the "Santa rally" Wall Street investors want could result in end-of-year copier-printer sales boost, but only time will tell.
The U.S. economy added 2.2 million jobs since August 2003. The unemployment rate of 5.4 percent didn't increase from October to November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor. Percentages since July are below the first half of 2004. Total employment in November grew by 483,000 to 140.3 million, or 62.5 percent of the U.S. population age 16 and over.
Consumer spending is expected to grow by 3-4 percent this season, literally fueled by a recent drop in energy prices. The U.S. monthly average pump price for regular gasoline averaged $1.91 nationally by early December, down 11 cents per gallon from November, but up by 28 percent in the past year. Oil prices have dropped more than 20 percent since reaching $55.65 a barrel on Oct. 27, but are forecasted to increase the first six months of 2005. Costs of petroleum-related goods are continuing to rise; home heating oil has increased by about a third over the winter of 2003.
Treasury note yields have risen in the waning months of 2004. The Dow Jones, NASDAQ and Standard & Poor's 500 indexes are up, overall, by at least 1 percent in December. Such department stores as JCPenney are reportedly showing increases of shoppers.
And Web sites shoppers are active. The eSpending Report by Goldman, Sachs & Co., Harris Interactive and Nielsen/NetRatings' Holiday Dec.13 showed 27 percent of U.S. online consumers had finished shopping and spent $12.7 billion online, not including travel.
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