New products

New products

BOARDMAN

Canfield Connector announced Tuesday the launch of a new series of electronic-connector packages that help solenoid coils stand up to intense heat as they power pneumatic and hydraulic valves.

The Canfield Connector 5JMSD and 5FMSD In-Line Micro Solenoid Drive Molded Connectors, made in America, provide bursts of energy through solenoid coils to force valves open, then cut power sharply to allow the valves to stay open and the coils to cool. The sharp reduction in power — up to 75 percent — maximizes coil performance and durability while conserving energy.

Hobby Lobby move

BOARDMAN

Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. will have a relocation celebration at 9 a.m. Monday. The store is moving from 472 Boardman-Canfield Road to the new 55,000- square-foot store at 1136 Boardman-Poland Road, in Tiffany Square.

US consumer confidence rises

WASHINGTON

Impressed with an improving economy, American consumers are feeling more confident, a private survey showed.

The Conference Board said Tuesday its consumer- confidence index climbed to 92.6 this month from a revised 91 in November.

Consumers registered a more-favorable view of current economic conditions; 17.1 percent said jobs were plentiful, up from 16.2 percent in November. Just 19.6 percent said business conditions were bad, down from 21.8 percent last month.

Expectations for the near- future fell slightly. Compared with November, fewer consumers in December said they planned to buy a home or a car in the next six months. But 52.2 percent said they planned to buy a major appliance, the highest share since 2010, noted Laura Rosner, an economist at BNP Paribas. She predicts “continued strength in consumer spending.” And their outlook is rosier now than it was when 2014 began.

Home-price growth slows for 11th month

WASHINGTON

U.S. home prices rose in October at a slightly slower pace, as real-estate sales have fallen and affordability increasingly has become a challenge for potential buyers.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home- price index increased 4.5 percent in October from 12 months prior. The figures reported Tuesday mark the 11th-straight month of price gains decelerating and the smallest gain since October 2012.

The slowdown in price growth comes after surging double-digit increases for much of 2013. Home values climbed as the market recovered from bottoming out in 2011 in the aftermath of the housing bust and the Great Recession. But home prices have outpaced lackluster wage growth, leaving many potential buyers unable to afford homes and causing both sales and price growth to stall this year.

Vindicator staff/wire reports