Blue Christmas

Dear Client:While there has been some buzz recently in the media about an economic recovery and robust holiday retail sales, the outlook continues to actually look rather bleak, according to survey results from Bill Pecoriello at ConsumerEdge Research. Bill surveys 2,600 consumers on a variety of variables to tease out trends and patterns. Bill found that "our research indicates a consumer base that continues to be very timid." Unemployment north of 10% and underemployment continue to drag on folks' minds.