Month: December 2024

The Friday File: U.S. theaters just had their highest grossing Thanksgiving (five-day) weekend ever, accruing over $400 million, largely driven by “Moana 2,” “Wicked,” and “Gladiator II.” Over the holiday about 30 million people saw those movies. Moreover just 25…

Almost half of U.S. government student lending goes to postgraduates even though they are 17% of all students. Moreover, since 2000 the inflation-adjusted cost of graduate studies has tripled, and the average debt load has risen by 50% to $50,000…

61% of the price of a new home is construction, including labor. Of the 61%, 56% (or 34% of the total price) is wages/salaries and 44% (or 27% of the price) is material. 7.3% of materials (or 2% of the…

While it’s still very early and the existing housing market is profoundly weak, preliminary evidence shows real estate agent commissions declining since new rules went into effect in mid-August following a landmark legal settlement. From mid-August through early October, average…

Through 7/14/24, YTD sales volume of private label food and beverage (F&B) items were up 3%, while value priced and mainstream F&B products were both down 1%. Conversely, premium F&B foodstuffs were up 2%, and super-premium labels were up 4%.…