U.S. retail sales jumped 1% in January, reversing a six-month declining trend and defying economists’ expectations by posting the biggest increase in 14 months.
What else? For my local readers, a solar firm has signed yet another deal to provide Southern California with 1,300 megawatts of solar electricity. The first plant should be operational in four years.
And the California legislature has supposedly reached a deal to “balance” the state budget. It includes $15 billion in spending cuts, $15 billion in tax increases, and $12 billion in smoke and mirrors — which isn’t a bad ratio considering how prevalent accounting tricks usually are. Now all we have to do is round up two or three non-insane Republicans to vote for it. Stay tuned.