The American economy shed another 54,000 non-farm payroll jobs in August as the federal government continued to lay off census workers, the U.S. Department of Labor reported last Friday. The U.S. economy added 67,000 private sector jobs during the month. Both numbers were a bit better than many economists had expected. The revision of July’s…

The battered American consumer has apparently absorbed the reality that things are going to get better only very slowly. Thus, despite the recent negative news on growth of the U.S. economy, jobs, consumer spending and declines in the financial markets, both major measures of consumer confidence ticked up slightly in August. The Thomson Reuters/University of…

Sales of equipment, supplies and furnishings declined 3.3% in the second quarter 2010, according to reps reporting for the Business Barometer fielded by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. While sales as tracked by the MAFSI Barometer were negative for the 10th consecutive quarter, it was the “least bad” decline since the second…

The trend of higher commodity prices will continue into 2011, according to Tom Stundza, senior principal analyst in the Pricing and Purchasing Group of IHS Global Insight. Stundza made the exclusive forecasts at FER‘s President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting in Evanston, Ill., earlier this month. Noting that prices for most ferrous and nonferrous metals…

Average list prices for equipment and supplies products rose only 1.3% for the 12-month period ending June 30, 2010, according to data from AutoQuotes Inc. The new data were presented as part of the FER President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting Aug. 4 in Evanston, Ill. David Greene, AutoQuotes managing director, European Operations, said the…

It’s not often rising prices are a good thing. But both the Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index—maintained by the Bureau of Labor Statistics—moved slightly higher in July and most economists considered it a positive sign. Months of falling prices in both indexes had many worrying about price deflation. The July readings eased…

While many challenges remain, Foodservice Equipment Reports forecasts the foodservice equipment and supplies market will grow in both real and current dollars in 2011, following a third-straight year of declines in 2010. FER Publisher Robin Ashton presented these predictions Aug. 4 at the magazine’s annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting, held at the Orrington…

Expectations are everything, especially when it comes to capital spending. And unfortunately, foodservice operators’ outlook for the next six months fell for the third straight month in the June Restaurant Performance Index survey fielded by the National Restaurant Association. Both indicators tracking capital spending also declined. All four components of the Expectations Index fell, dragging…

Real gross-domestic product in the U.S. grew more slowly in the second quarter than many economists expected. The numbers for personal consumption expenditures were also well below most of the forecasts. The U.S. Department of Commerce reported real GDP increased 2.4% on an annualized basis in the second quarter. The consensus forecast from Blue Chip…

After a nearly yearlong run-up in the prices of many key metals used in foodservice equipment and supplies, prices have plateaued and even fallen since the beginning of June. According to O’Neal Steel, writing in the July issue of Prime Advantage’s PrimeTimes e-newsletter, nickel surcharges for stainless grades such as 304 and 430 have fallen…