Men, who have endured slightly higher unemployment rates than women, have been taking on more of the household shopping, according to a recent report. The trend hasn’t boded well for stores: On average, men spend less than wome…
The Japanese are the world’s most voracious consumers of luxury goods, from Louis Vuitton handbags to Cartier jewelry to Hermes high fashion. So purveyors of those luxury goods are justifiably worried about the effect of the Ja…
Last week, oil’s ascent trumped a raft of healthy U.S. economic reports. With a relatively light slate of economic data scheduled this week, oil prices and political turmoil in the Middle East could play an even larger role in …
Retailers got some unexpected love from shoppers in the form of strong February sales. But whether consumers repeat the feat in spring could depend on gasoline prices and how they feel about their finances. So, March could be t…
Most forecasts expect the month will show 3% growth or better over the same time last year when major merchants report their tallies on Thursday. One thing seems clear: Higher-end households were more willing to spend than lowe…