Economy

The middle class’s growing reliance on credit, rising interest rates, and increasingly expensive boats could mean trouble for the marine industry.

Economic indicators are scattered wildly, but global uncertainty and low bond yields are giving economists pause.

Bruce Van Wagoner says inventory levels are “reasonable,” and that dealers and manufacturers are operating with more cooperation.

Economic confidence among small firms is the lowest since Trump’s election.

Indicators remain strong, despite stock-market jitters.

The economic indicator that Navico CEO Leif Ottosson watches first and foremost is consumer confidence, and The Conference Board’s measure of the American consumer’s mood delivered good news to Navico and the rest of the recreational marine industry at the end of August.

The largest share of workers since 2001 quit their jobs in July as U.S. job openings rose to a new record high, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Consumer confidence remained strong in two surveys released in late July, and employers added 157,000 jobs during the month, indicating that the economy continues to expand despite fears about President Donald Trump’s tough trade policies.

Consumer confidence remained high in surveys released at the end of June, but there were signs that concern about the impact of President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies has begun to creep into consumers’ minds.

Consumer confidence is near an 18-year high and consumer spending is rising, leaving Imtra’s Eric Braitmayer, who puts both high on the list of indicators he watches, optimistic about the short-term outlook for the recreational boating industry.

Sales of new yachts and aluminum fishing boats helped bolster overall new boat sales in April, while sales in segments including pontoons reflected a chilly, wet spring across much of the country.

At the start of May, Americans’ faith in the economy was strong and economic indicators pointed toward rising consumer activity, suggesting that the recreational boating industry could find continued success during the spring and summer selling seasons this year.

Businesses are facing higher costs for everything from fuel and freight hauling to aluminum and labor, but thus far, consumers are resisting price increases.

Automobile sales helped drive a retail sales rebound in March, but the growth was sluggish despite higher employment and bigger paychecks, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Markets tumbled on Monday as embattled Facebook sparked a tech selloff — the most recent illustration of the mixed economic indicators prevalent in the news.