Market Insights

The The one-day event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will feature seven presentations connected to the theme of "Understanding Today's Home Improvement Industry."

A series of snowstorms in early 2010 boosted snow blower/throwers sales past every other category of outdoor power equipment, according to research released by The NPD Group, a market research firm based in Port Washington, N.Y.

Holiday sales unleashed three years of pent-up demand during the key 2010 shopping season, according to a report from Customer Growth Partners.

Throughout the downturn of the last four years or so we have seen the lumber and building materials industry shrink dramatically. Some estimates of sales shrinkage at the dealer level put it beyond 50%. In some markets, that estimate is absurdly low.

The National Association of Home Builders is somewhat encouraged by the 7.2% increase in housing starts for March.  Coming on the heels of disappointing declines in February,

Canadian economists have expressed concerns about a correction in the housing market north of the U.S. border, where record borrowing, low interest rates and eager home buyers have created a building boom over the last several years.

An annual report by Marcus and Millichap, a real estate investment and brokerage firm, showed a drop in the nationwide vacancy rate for retail properties, from 10.2% last year to the current 10%, according to an

Having worked heavily with marketing research for more than 30 years, I know just how useful it can be to make better business decisions, but like all tools there are limitations.

Orlando, Fla. -- The annual Housing and Economic Outlook at the 2011 International Builders' Show had some relatively good news for attendees.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR), an association with a reputation for housing market optimism, expects gains in new and existing home sales and housing starts in 2011. Among the forecasts presented in the • New home sales are estimated to rise 24% to 392,000 in 2011;

New home sales in March increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000, according to data released today by the Department of Commerce.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased slightly to 65.4 in April, up from 63.8 in March, and up from 57.7 in April 2010.