Watch: US retail suffers surprising January sales decline

Reports say retail sales dropped 0.3% in January, the biggest decline in 11 months. Forecasts expected at least a 0.2%, so the drop surprised analysts and retailers alike. The decline has been attributed to household cutbacks on large expenses like cars and building materials. December, previously marked as an 0.2% bump in sales, has been corrected to a flat rate. Consumer spending as a whole grew nearly 4% in Q4 of 2017, posing the question: why retail is so rocky?

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medical worker shortage
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Healthcare systems across the U.S. are facing a persistent and worsening medical worker shortage, particularly in allied health roles that keep hospitals, clinics, and surgery centers running. Rural access gaps, rising tuition costs, and skepticism about the ROI of traditional degrees are colliding with urgent employer demand. At the same time, momentum is building…

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Broadband
2025 Broadband Year in Review, Part 2
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In this episode of Wavelengths, the Amphenol Broadband Solutions podcast, host Daniel Litwin continues his conversation with Alex Rozek, Founder and CEO of Mac Mountain, to examine how technology shifts, capital discipline, and changing consumer expectations reshaped broadband in 2025, and what those changes lock in for the future. As the broadband industry closes…

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branding
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customer movement
Bonfire Branding: How Solo Stove Sparked a Customer Movement with Liz Vanzura (Episode Three)
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As audiences tune out polished ads and lean into trust, brands are being forced to rethink how they show up for the customer. Research consistently shows that consumers rate peer-created content as more credible than traditional brand messaging, and algorithmic discovery is increasingly rewarding authenticity over polish. With AI reshaping how people search and…

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