- by Cara Brosius
- March 12 2017
- Consumer Products
- kitchenware
- tableware
Celebrity Chefs & Premium Items Heating up Demand for Tableware & Kitchenware
US demand for tableware and kitchenware is projected to total $12.7 billion in 2021. Growth will be aided by gains in disposable personal income, improvements in household formation and home sales, and increases in new marriages...
- by Steven Richmond
- March 2 2017
- Consumer Products
Turmoil in Textiletown
There’s trouble in the US home textiles market. Leading retailers and their suppliers have been shaken by a series of supply chain scandals that have brought the veracity of a wide swath of product claims under scrutiny. While these events have created a major headache for leading players, they represent an opportunity for others...
- by Luke Hickman
- February 22 2017
- Glass
- Materials & Chemicals
- Recycling
- Single-Stream Collection
A New Path for Glass Recycling
Houston, Texas removed glass from its curbside recycling program back in March of 2016 as a result of increasing processing costs and budget constraints. Similar developments in other cities paint a glum picture for the future of the recovered glass industry. Or do they?
- by Erica Keenan
- February 20 2017
- gambling
- Live Entertainment
- Music Festivals
- Recreation
- services & miscellaneous
Having Fun IRL: New Recreation Offerings Entice Consumers Away from Their Screens
Over 110 million people tuned in to watch Fox’s telecast of Superbowl LI on February 5, 2017, in which the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons. This is good news for Fox and Tom Brady, but also exemplifies a challenge faced by many providers of recreation services...
Demand for Wastepaper in US, China Has Recyclers Thinking Inside the Box
The volume of paper packaging recovered from the US municipal solid waste (MSW) stream is forecast to grow 0.5% annually through 2021. Corrugated boxes constitute 93% of recovered paper packaging due to their widespread use in shipping goods and a well-established infrastructure for recycling them.
- by Luke Hickman
- February 8 2017
- automotive
- services & miscellaneous
Auto Leasing: Cultural Shift or Cyclical Market?
US consumer spending on motor vehicle leases surpassed historic peaks in 2015. While some theorize that cultural changes have driven this trend, macroeconomic factors have also played an important role. Is the current level of demand sustainable, or is it doomed to decline?
- by Matthew Rolfe
- January 30 2017
- Durable Goods
- Mexico
- Trade
Sweeping Impacts of the Proposed Mexico Import Tax
On January 26, 2017, the Trump administration suggested a 20% tax on imports from Mexico, in order to fund construction of a wall separating the countries. As Mexico represents the US’ second-largest source of general imports (which includes the value of goods intended for re-export), this begs the question: which US industries and markets could be impacted by a tax on imports from Mexico?
- by Luke Hickman
- January 18 2017
- architecture
- construction
- services & miscellaneous
Architects Benefiting from Move to Multi-Family Housing
Since the depths of the recession, multi-family residential projects have emerged as a star in the building construction market for architectural service providers. From 2011 to 2015, multi-unit housing projects experienced double-digit yearly growth in unit starts, while annual expenditures vaulted 24% at a minimum between 2012 and 2015. This surge in the construction of new multi-unit residential buildings has been evident in many large US cities, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York.
- by Cara Brosius
- January 11 2017
- coal
- electricity generation
- Energy & Resources
- natural gas
US Coal Production: Down, But Not Lights Out
Coal has been declared a dying industry by articles in some publications like Forbes and The New York Times, but how bad has the outlook for US coal really gotten? As it turns out, large declines in US coal production are not expected to continue in the next few years, because the switch from coal to natural gas in electricity generation is largely complete.
- by Erica Keenan
- January 10 2017
- consumer goods
- Tobacco Products
Is the Tobacco Products Market Going Up in Smoke?
The Marlboro Man – an iconic advertising symbol for tobacco products at a time of widespread use – rode off into the sunset many years ago. Legal and social restrictions have taken their toll on demand for these products as an aggregate both in the US and many major export markets, and new regulations hold the potential to exact further losses. Nevertheless, for the US tobacco industry, some bright spots remain.