Time’s Up for Traditional Watch Makers

By Mary Hanbury A year ago, the central display in the Fossil store on New York’s Fifth Avenue was full of jewel-encrusted watches from Switzerland. Today, such watches have disappeared and in their place are the smooth-faced “smartwatches” that connect to a user’s...

Short-lived High for U.S. Durable Goods Orders

by Mary Hanbury Orders for long-lasting factory goods dropped in February, indicating that the manufacturing industry is facing significant pressure. The headline figure dropped 2.8 percent, driven by a substantial drop in aircraft sales. Core capital goods– a proxy...

Online Sellers Give Mattress Stores Sleepless Nights

by Mary Hanbury The wall of hot air instantly makes you feel claustrophobic; it’s the kind of place where a headache comes on in seconds but stays for hours. Consumers are creatures of habit when it comes to buying a mattress, time and again letting pushy sales men...

US Durable Goods Orders Surge in January

by Mary Hanbury   Orders for long-lasting factory goods rebounded this month after a December slump, signaling improvement for the struggling U.S. manufacturing sector.   Overall, new orders were up 4.9 percent in January, an improvement from the 4.6 percent...