Word: smaller
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...China, meanwhile, it is fashionable to blame U.S. trade deficits on the debt-addicted ways of American citizens and their government. There's an element of truth to this too. If the U.S. borrowed and spent less, its trade imbalances would be smaller. But China has been enabling this profligate behavior for years by buying trillions of dollars in U.S. government debt and mortgage securities as part of its continuing effort to - you got it - keep the yuan from appreciating too much against the dollar...
...reminiscent of the seemingly endless wrangles in the late 1980s and early 1990s with Japan, which accounted for the bulk of the U.S. trade deficit in those days. The trade deficit with Japan never shrank much in dollar terms, but it became smaller as a share of GDP starting in the mid-1990s, and was eclipsed by the trade imbalance with China in 2000 (in September the U.S. trade deficit with Japan was $4.1 billion, compared to $22.1 billion with China). The issue was never resolved, but it ceased to seem so important. Could that happen with China...
According to Beemer's research, 51.5% of consumers plan to spend less this year, compared with 40.1% who said they'd cut back a year ago. Retailers have been quick to trumpet how their more manageable inventory levels and smaller staffs will help control costs. But such cuts could backfire against them. Over 41% of shoppers, as opposed to 21% in 2008, say they will leave stores that are short-handed or have long lines at the register. If cash-strapped customers already feel a little guilty about shopping to begin with, they'll look for any excuse to head...
...offering incentives for husbands and wives to stuff each other's stockings. "In general, retailers realize that shoppers don't have as much money," says John Vincent, founder of BlackFriday.info. "They know you're not going to spend $1,000 on a TV. So they are emphasizing deals for smaller, more practical, more giftable items." Vincent points to Target, which on Black Friday will be selling $3 coffeemakers, toasters and sandwichmakers. Not exactly stuff that tugs at the heartstrings on Christmas morning, but hey, it's the thought that counts (and if the toast is crispy, even better...
...housing turmoil and the weak dollar have weighed heavily on small business as demand for building contractors, which are often smaller businesses, dried up in the housing bust, and the cost of importing raw materials like copper for contracting work has risen due to the weak U.S. dollar. Large companies with overseas operations have an easier time hedging against those risks...