The New Year in dollars and sense

The end of 2018 seems to be the beginning of a good period in our economy that we are celebrating in the new year of 2019.

Recent reports say holiday sales jumped up by 5.1 percent this past Christmas season, which was more than $850 billion from Nov. 1 to Christmas day, according to a report from Mastercard.

Those figures come from all types of spending including credit cards, cash and checks. That included online shopping which grew 19 percent compared to last year.

Low unemployment rates and rising wages reportedly have helped to boost confidence which reportedly hit its highest point in a generation.

Another advance in the growth of our economy appears to come from Wall Street where stocks rallied back last week, giving some hope to the industry that has been battered somewhat this past December. The Dow Jones Industrial Average reportedly increased more than 1,000 points, its biggest gain ever for investors as they returned from their holiday breaks.

The market, of course, still has some repair to make to its worst December since 1931 when it finished its greatest losses during the Great Depression.

But, overall, we’re certainly hoping for a prosperous New Year.

 

About Allen Lottinger 433 Articles
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