The surprisingly strong January employment report last week was a welcome sign of improvement in the overall U.S. economic picture. The timing couldn’t be better, with the Miami International Boat Show and the Yacht & Brokerage Show starting next Thursday, Feb. 16. (Read More…)

The days of the “order taker” are over. No longer can a retailer continue doing business the same way as in the past. Look for opportunities, experiment, try something new and monitor the results. (Read More…)

Three to four times a week someone from the news media calls our association office to ask the same questions: “Are boat sales off because of the economy?  Or, Is the price of fuel going to impact boating this summer?” (Read More…)

While thinking about what I was going to say in today’s blog, associate editor Melanie Winters said she talked to someone at the Miami boat show who thought the rebates from the federal stimulus package would help consumers come up with a down payment for a boat.

I shrugged at that idea. As I told Melanie, it looked like the rebates would just about keep families afloat, never mind buy a boat. Melanie was more optimistic. (Read More…)

Will the Fed’s rate cuts work? (Read More…)

It’s that time of year when many people start thinking about making a New Year’s resolution. Some resolve to work harder, spend more time with family, exercise, eat healthier, or quit smoking. (Read More…)

The state of the economy today reminds me of a frog analogy I heard years ago. If you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it will immediately jump out. But if you put a frog in water that’s room temperature and then slowly heat it up, the frog will just sit there and boil to death. (Read More…)

Many in the industry say 2008 will be a make- or break-year. We agree with that and we speculate that it will be a survival of the fittest story, with the Goliaths gobbling up the Davids. (Read More…)