- by Leon Mengri
- September 18 2018
- consumer goods
Toaster Ovens: The Small Kitchen Appliance That Could
Consumers showed an increasing preference for toaster ovens – not to be confused with toasters – over the 2007-2017 period due to the convenience they provide in meal preparation. The affordability of these products also supports sales, as does the wide variety of top rated products with useful features.
- by Leon Mengri
- September 18 2018
- services & miscellaneous
- technology
Mass Transit Investment Grows as High-Tech Solutions Fall Short
The 2007-2009 recession inflicted massive damage to state and local government budgets and hampered investments in mass transit across the US. At the same time, the launch of transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber Technologies in 2010 and later Lyft, the potential of hyperloops, and promises of self-driving cars gave many public officials hope that the problems of urban transportation could be solved by technology. However, small and large hiccups along the way have shown that technological solutions could take much longer and deliver relatively limited solutions towards fixing the ailing transportation systems of many US cities.
- by Chris Dyer
- September 17 2018
- gambling
Are States Ready to Gamble on eSports?
With the recent federal decision to allow sports betting, states are leaping at the opportunity to seize their share of the legal take. eSports – the competitive play of video games – is set to be the next sports gambling opportunity. Are states and those in the gambling industry ready?
- by Leon Mengri
- September 17 2018
- food
The Rise of Tortillas
The versatile tortilla is on a roll, breaking out of the Tex-Mex stereotype and finding its way into all sorts of meals and snacks. That said, the increasing popularity of Mexican cuisine hasn’t hurt either.
- by Chris Dyer
- August 17 2018
- consumers
- Recreation
You Shall Not (Movie)Pass!
MoviePass, a subscription-based service originally designed to allow subscribers to view unlimited movies in theaters nationwide for a single monthly rate of $9.95, sounds too good to be true. Maybe it is?
- by Chris Dyer
- August 15 2018
- consumer goods
- online retail
Mattress Retailers Are Losing Sleep
Online sales of mattresses are a growing market, particularly for “bed-in-a-box” companies. Intensifying competition from formless digital stores is keeping brick-and-mortar players up at night, one might say.
- by Chris Dyer
- August 15 2018
- Industrials
- Metals & Minerals
Steel & Aluminum Fabricators Under Pressure… to Grow?!
The fabricated metal products industry is one of many targeted in the Trump administration’s recently imposed tariffs, and like other industries, the potential outcomes are largely unknown. Retaliatory tariffs are mounting. Will the smaller actors in the US fabricated metal products industry maximize their capabilities and expand to meet rising demand?
- by Chris Dyer
- August 15 2018
- publishing
Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Newsprint Tariffs Cut!
Faced with a changing media landscape, newspaper publishers have struggled to remain relevant over the years. As distrust in the news media grows, it seems like the worst possible time to place tariffs on the very paper used to print newspapers – newsprint – and publishers have taken it upon themselves to roll them back.
- by Owen Stuart
- August 13 2018
- Energy & Resources
Lower Standards for Gas May Get a Pass
In August 2018, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a plan to freeze the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. While freezing the standards would likely stall the climb in fuel efficiency among the US motor vehicle park, ultimately increasing demand for motor vehicle fuel, the sharp legal resistance to the proposed changes will tie up the rulemaking for several years, ensuring that such rules are unlikely to take effect until the legal challenges are resolved. As a result, automakers will conform to previously established 2020 targets that make automobiles more fuel efficient, likely reducing demand for motor vehicle fuel for the next 2-4 years.
- by Owen Stuart
- August 13 2018
- Energy & Resources
Feeling Pain at the Pump? Blame Global Politics
Gas prices across the US have risen, and consumers are feeling the pain. Prices averaged $2.93 per gallon in the US during the month of July, and relief is definitely not in sight. Unfortunately, a confluence of geopolitical events and consumer habits have made petrol pumping prices pretty pear-shaped.