Aside from Franchise Industry news I wanted to relay some very positive “overall” economic news from this past quarter.

~ March - payrolls were up for the 3^rd time since the recession began in late 2007, that’s good news, the unemployment rate is at 9.7%.  As we continue on the road to recovery, this will begin to come down. 

~ March – housing starts and building permits were higher for the month;

~ February – period home sales rose sharply by 8.2%;

~ April – consumer confidence in April rebounded from a one year low on hopes that an improving economy will continue to create jobs. 

THE MARKET AND LEADERSHIP

As of the beginning of March the market has begun trending upward. March 1^st was a follow through day which was the kick-off of the current rally. It is a very broad based rally meaning there are a number of industries participating on the upside.

Interestingly enough, there are a few industries that are standing out, which are the ….

                        -  Retail industry

                        -  Technology industry

                        -  Internet content

With signs that the economy is coming back these are the companies planning to increase spending because they feel better about the economy.

Some of the technology companies are Apple (the Ipad sure helps!), Intel, SanDisk, SalesForce.com, and Cognizant.

The retail industry is seeing signs of the consumer coming back.  Stocks such as Decker’s, Guess, Chipotle, McDonalds, Cheese Cake Factory, and Dress Barn have risen as well.

Internet content firms that do the majority of their business online such as Baidu, Amazon, and Priceline have been leaders in their segment.

Even leisure industries that depend heavily on the consumer have been rising — stocks such as Las Vegas Sands and Wynn Resorts.

Let’s hope that whatever “bumps” in the quarters ahead are minimal and the economy continues to get better!