On May 29, the U.S. Census Bureau released their advance Economic Indicators Report for April’s imports and exports, and not surprisingly, the numbers were gloomy. Both imports and exports were down double-digits, and overall, the international trade deficit rose to $69.7 billion, which was an increase of $4.7 billion from the March...

I recently shared the ways in which declining tax revenue is taking a toll on state and local coffers, resulting in numerous job and budget cuts. Sales, gas, hotel, and other taxes and tolls have all decreased dramatically during the COVID-19-related shutdowns across the country.

On Tuesday morning, new data was released by the Census Bureau on housing starts in the U.S. And the picture is rather bleak. April privately-owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 891,000, which is a 30.2 percent drop from March of this year. It is also 29.7 percent below the April 2019 rate.

Earlier this week, I shared with you the detrimental financial impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the healthcare sector. It is somewhat counterintuitive that hospitals that are overflowing with coronavirus patients would be losing money. As I explained, however, many healthcare organizations have had to sacrifice more lucrative...

Last week, I shared with you some of the industries that have been hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis, including restaurants, childcare centers, and construction. The negative impacts to these industries seem fairly logical given the temporary regulations and shutdowns put in place to help prevent the spread of the virus. But amid the...

At Vertical IQ, we recently have focused our research efforts on monitoring the industries most affected by COVID-19. On our free COVID-19 webpage, you’ll find economic updates, sector updates, and details on how specific industries are being impacted.

It’s the topic on nearly everyone’s mind right now: coronavirus (COVID-19). And millions of business owners are worried about how this pandemic is going to impact their company, both in the short-term and in the months to come. That’s why Vertical IQ has created a new dedicated webpage with expert research on how COVID-19 is affecting...

The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed by the namesake countries’ leaders in November 2018. (You can read the text of the USMCA here.) After a lengthy ratification process, it was passed with bipartisan support by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2019 and by the Senate on January 16, 2020. As of this...

December is the month when the nation’s 15,200 jewelry stores really shine! Indeed, winter holiday shoppers can make or break a jewelry store, which has highly seasonal sales in December and around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. Yet in recent years, jewelry stores have lost market share to a variety of channels, including department...

As the Baby Boomers reach retirement age, you can expect to see more ownership transitions for small businesses. According to the latest data from Barlow Research, 57 percent of small business owners are currently 60 years or older, a dramatic increase from 38 percent in 2008.