WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. wholesale prices fell in April, reflecting a big decline in gas and energy costs. But outside that drop, inflation was tame.
The Labor Department says the producer price index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, dropped 0.2 percent in April. It was the first decline since December and the biggest drop since October.
Excluding volatile food and energy costs, the so-called core index rose 0.2 percent.
For the 12 months that ended in April, wholesale prices have risen just 1.9 percent, the smallest 12-month change since October 2009.
Modest wholesale inflation reduces pressure on manufacturers and retailers to raise prices. That helps keep consumer prices stable.
Gas prices spiked earlier this year. But they have dropped 5 percent since peaking last month.
Wholesale Electricity Surges in New York - Businessweek
Wholesale electricity jumped in New York as hot, humid weather from Massachusetts to Maryland prompted households and businesses to crank up their air conditioners.
Spot power in New York City rose to an average of $706.33 a megawatt-hour for the hour ended at 12 p.m., after soaring as high as $1,647.56 at 10:55 a.m., according to the New York Independent System Operator Inc., which manages the state grid. Electricity traded yesterday for delivery in the 10 a.m.-to-noon period today was priced in the $50-range.
The high in New York today may be 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 Celsius), 14 above normal, with humidity rising to as high as 87 percent, according to AccuWeather Inc. in State College, Pennsylvania. Baltimore’s high will be 12 above normal at 91 degrees.
“Today’s demand is expected to be up with the heat and humidity, but power supplies are more than adequate to meet that demand,” Michael Clendenin, a spokesman for Consolidated Edison Inc. in New York, said in an e-mail. A cold front expected to move in later today and tomorrow will “bring temperatures back to normal by the end of the week,” he said.
Most power for a given day is purchased the previous day in what is known as the day-ahead market. Spot prices can jump when demand exceeds the amount secured in trading a day earlier.
New York Grid
Hourly prices across the New York state grid have been above $100 a megawatt-hour since 7 a.m., when demand climbed with the start of the work day. Electricity use on the grid was 28,009 megawatts as of noon, 14 percent above yesterday’s forecast for that time.
Thunderstorms predicted for later today may result in transmission disruptions and surging prices at around 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., said Brendyn Brooks-Stocking, a Boston-based Northeast power analyst with Genscape Inc., which tracks real-time data at power plants.
Today’s spot-market price gains won’t affect bills for Con Ed customers, according to Clendenin. The utility has more than three million customers in New York City and Westchester County.
The high in Worcester, Massachusetts, may be 83 degrees, 13 above normal.
Spot power across New England was $205.81 a megawatt-hour as of 12:40 p.m., based on gains in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts, compared with the day-ahead price of $43.74 for the grid, according to the region’s grid operator. Electricity on the grid averaged $151.65 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., according to data from ISO New England Inc.
Mid-Atlantic
Demand on the mid-Atlantic grid operated by PJM Interconnection LLC, which spans 13 states from New Jersey to North Carolina and as far west as Illinois, was 120,911 megawatts as of 11:30 a.m., 4.8 percent more than the day-ahead forecast.
Prices have traded from lows that were mostly in the $20s and $30s per megawatt-hour to more than $400 in some of the more densely populated areas where transmission bottlenecks aren’t unusual, according to PJM data.
Public Service Enterprise Group (PEG) (PEG)’s territory in New Jersey averaged $278.58 a megawatt-hour for the hour ended at noon, after rising to a high today of $451.75. Spot power at Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.’s zone in Maryland averaged $314.68 for the same hour after rising as high as $431.58. Day-ahead prices were in the high $40s for both areas.
To contact the reporter on this story: Naureen S. Malik in New York at nmalik28@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dan Stets at dstets@bloomberg.net
Shopping for Appliance Parts Reinvented by TopApplianceParts.com - Yahoo Finance
WILMINGTON, Del., May 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TopApplianceParts.com changes the way appliance parts are purchased online by creating a marketplace where multiple vendors offer their inventory for sale so customers get to choose the best price.
For decades, shopping for appliance parts meant buying parts from one store that typically has one supplier with limited inventory.
TopApplianceParts.com has created a network of vendors that supply original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and non-OEM appliance parts for all brands and types of appliances and electronics.
When consumers visit TopApplianceParts.com, they can search for appliance parts they need using part number, model number, part description, brand and type of appliance. Once the consumer identifies the appliance part they need, they will see that appliance part offered from multiple vendors.
Consumers can click on the More Info & Availability button to get the price and availability from that particular vendor. The advantage of this new way of shopping is that some vendors might not have the desired appliance part in stock, but another vendor does.
Using this method, consumers avoid back ordering the appliance part from a supplier that does not currently have this part in its warehouse. Consumers can get real time appliance part availability information from each vendor.
Another advantage is price comparison shopping since the same appliance part can be offered by more than one supplier at a different price. By comparing prices from different vendors, consumers can save money.
About TopApplianceParts.com
TopApplianceParts.com is an online store that sells appliance parts from multiple vendors. The company currently offers great savings and benefits to its customers. If consumers order an appliance part before 2 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday, the part will be shipped the same day. Consumers get 30 days for returns.
Customer Support
Eugene Bezmel
TopApplianceParts.com
(888)-669-8860
support@topapplianceparts.com
This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.
Wholesale Power Tools Father’s Day Sale Targets What Dad Really Wants: Power Tools - YAHOO!
With Big Savings on popular Makita power tools and a third Free lithium-ion battery on select kits, plus 10% off on select renowned Jet metalworking and woodworking shop tools, Dad will be a better craftsman and DIY-er for less.
Ft. Myers, FLA (PRWEB) May 29, 2012
This June 17, Father’s Day, will honor fathers throughout the country and, as usual, the necktie will lead the parade of gifts showered on Dear Old Dad in recognition of the many gifts he has bestowed on the lives of his family.Dad doesn’t want another tie, though. He wants power tools.
In recognition of fathers and what they really want on the Big Day, Wholesale Power Tools – Construction Supply Superstore, a leading online retailer of power tools, generators, construction and metalworking equipment, bits, blades, fasteners and more, is holding a Father’s Day Sale through June at http://www.wholesalepowertools.com/ with significant savings and extras on corded and cordless power tools from leading manufacturer Makita, and on metal and wood shop tools from Jet and Powermatic.
Wholesale Power Tools is featuring additional savings on already low wholesale prices on a wide variety of Makita power tools, and is throwing in a Free third lithium-ion battery, a $100 value, with several of the line’s highly popular 2-piece cordless combination kits and a 3-speed Makita Impact Driver. There is also Free Shipping offered on a selection of the most desirable tools and kits in the Makita line.
In addition, Wholesale Power Tools has a 10% off sale through June 30th on professional-grade metal- and woodworking shop tools from the Jet brand, known the world over as the gold standard for true craftsmen. Plus, also through June 30th, select Powermatic shop tools are featured with 17% savings.
Just to prove the point on what Dad actually wants as a Father’s Day gift, Wholesale Power Tools offers the following statistics: According to the study Power & Hand Tools, conducted by the Cleveland-based industry data research firm The Freedonia Group, demand for tools is growing at a 3.3% annual rate and should reach $14.5 billion in the U.S. in 2012, with the growth in demand from consumers outpacing that of professionals. At the same time, a recent Gallup Poll showed that only 6% of American men wear a tie to work every day, and the nation’s #1 necktie maker, Phillips-Van Heusen Corp., says sales of ties has dropped to 50 million a year from a high of nearly 250 million annually some 40 years ago.
Besides, even men who wear ties to work join their more casual brethren in the Do-It-Yourself-er category at home, using power drills, sanders, saws, drivers, nailers, staplers, trimmers, vacuums, cordless tools and more to build stuff, make repairs, and basically be the envy of all the other fathers in the neighborhood.
The highlight of power tools in the Makita line are the cordless models featuring both lithium-ion batteries and exclusive Makita brushless motor technology. The lithium-ion batteries charge much faster than the traditional nickel-cadmium type, and they hold a charge about 50% longer, both factors that keep the tools on the job longer.
But it’s the brushless motor technology that is really blazing a trail in the power tool world. Called Makita BL™ Brushless Motor Technology, this innovation in power tools was created by Makita in 2003 for assembly work in the defense and aerospace industries. In 2009 Makita expanded its offering, delivering an 18V LXT Brushless Motor Impact Driver for contractors, and now the technology is available on a wide variety of power hand tools for the professional and DIY-er alike. Makita’s efficient BL™ Brushless motor is electronically controlled to optimize battery energy use for up to 50% longer run time per charge than similar non-brushless tools. Electronic controls efficiently use battery energy to match torque and RPM to the changing demands of the application for increased power and speed when needed. And since there are no carbon brushes, the BL™ Brushless motor runs cooler and more efficiently for longer life, always a great savings.
A featured item in the Makita Father’s Day sale at Wholesale Power Tools is the LXT239 18V LXT Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 2-Pc. Kit, which includes a ½” Hammer Driver-Drill and a Brushless Impact Driver, both featuring the brushless motor technology and lithium-ion batteries, plus a Free third 18V lithium-ion battery as part of the this special Makita sale. The kit is available now with Free Shipping. Get complete information at http://www.wholesalepowertools.com/makita/.
In the JET Tools line, where the Father’s Day sale at Wholesale Power Tools is an additional 10% off already low wholesale prices, look for such items as the Jet 710116K 14” Deluxe Pro Bandsaw Kit, which comes with a 5-year warranty and features a massive cast iron frame for increased power to cut even larger pieces of wood. This kit, like many items in the Jet line, comes with Free Shipping. Visit http://www.wholesalepowertools.com/jet/ for details.
Wholesale Power Tools – Construction Supply Superstore carries a complete line of power tools, generators, compressors, scaffolding, inspection cameras, fasteners, accessories and more from a wide variety of the leading brands in the tools business for immediate shipping. The online retailer targets the professional and DIY-er with a large inventory and pricing strategy that delivers the best value in the tool business. The website also features Live Chat where tool experts can answer any questions concerning tools for the job, the right blades, fasteners and accessories and much more.
Visit http://www.wholesalepowertools.com/ or call toll-free 866-462-3581 for complete details.
Chuck Lunsford
Wholesale Power Tools
866-462-3581
Email Information
Masterplan will boost shopping centre trade - Grimsby Telegraph
A MAJOR retailer is waiting for the opportunity to set up shop in Grimsby, according to a report.
Repositioning the town's bus station could allow for the expansion of Freshney Place shopping precinct and create a further eight outlets.
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New look? An artist's impression of a redesigned Grimsby bus station.
Precinct owners Grosvenor said they supported the masterplan for the area because it would boost trade.
Nearly 40 per cent of the shoppers heading to Freshney Place shopping centre come by bus, according to the precinct's owners.
Grosvenor's projects director, Simon Armstrong, said his firm supported North East Lincolnshire Council's bid for funding because it would bring in further investment and shoppers.
Mr Armstrong said: "At present, the bus station provides a hostile environment for pedestrian shoppers at the western end of the shopping centre and the proposals to upgrade the quality of the public realm and pedestrian amenities are welcomed."
He said his firm was committed to bringing further investment to Grimsby following relocation of the bus station, adding: "Our initial studies suggest there is potential to create a large new store of about 70,000 sq ft and stimulate an investment of £12 million with the creation of 100 jobs.
"In setting out our support for these proposals, we would emphasise the need for a high-quality replacement bus facility."
The new bus station would have to be convenient and provide easy access to the shopping centre, he said.
North East Lincolnshire Council's head of development, Jason Longhurst, said: "This successful bid, alongside the significant benefits for public transport and enabling access to employment, further provides the opportunity to expand the retail offer in Grimsby town centre, as we know that Grosvenor, the owners of Freshney Place, are keen to extend.
"The bid was prepared in partnership with our regeneration partner Balfour Beatty and a number of local businesses and community groups.
"This funding will allow us to make significant improvements to the public and sustainable transport networks, which will help to encourage development, create jobs and improve levels of accessibility."
What do you think?
E-mail your thoughts to viewpoint@grimsbytelegraph.co.uk
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