PRICES & SPENDING • Dec 2023 • Volume 12 / Number 18
This Beyond the Numbers article will explore how Black Friday has changed over the years by using CPI and PPI commodity indexes to analyze prices. We’ll look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Black Friday, and how the continuing growth of online shopping has affected the holiday shopping season.
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Recent articles
PRICES & SPENDING
In 2004, the Producer Price Index (PPI) introduced indexes tracking the average changes in prices received by the nonresidential building construction sector. For these calculations, PPI has collected information describing costs for labor and materials, as well as builder overhead and markup for construction activities. This Beyond the Numbers article provides updated information that supplements two previous articles from the PPI relating to nonresidential building construction.
EMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT
From 2010 to 2020, national employment increased by 12 million jobs, or 9.4 percent, recovering beyond pre-Great Recession levels. At the same time, the manufacturing sector recovered only about 600,000 (24 percent) of the 2.5 million jobs lost during the Great Recession. Similarly, production occupations within the manufacturing sector recovered only about 200,000 (13 percent) of the 1.5 million jobs lost.
PRICES & SPENDING
Pets are big business. Whether they are cats and dogs, or turtles and fish, there is no doubt that consumers love spoiling their pets. Pet owners often say that pets are important members of their families; they are great companions that provide their humans with many mental and physical health benefits. It is no surprise that pet-related expenses make up a growing part of consumers’ budgets. This article compares pet expenditures to other consumer expenditure trends.
United States Department of Labor
