Current Events in November 2016

Thanksgiving is a day of gratitude, but it can also be a day of overindulgence. The health effects of a heavy meal can be exacerbated by remaining sedentary after the meal has ended.

Getting outdoors, whether you do so before or after your meal, is just one of the ways to have a healthier Thanksgiving. Consumers can also improve the health of their holiday by watching what they eat at the table.

Swaps and substitutions

At the table, health-conscious individuals can look for healthier alternatives to popular Thanksgiving foods. For instance, you can reach for a baked potato instead of marshmallowed sweet potato. Giannopoulos says making this swap will help you eat fewer carbohydrates and less brown sugar.

Vegetarian and gluten-free options

Fortunately for those in need of gluten-free options, many Thanksgiving foods (including turkey, sweet potatoes, and brussels sprouts) are naturally gluten-free. However, sometimes these foods can be mixed with ingredients that contain gluten. If safety is a concern, consider having your gluten-free guests bring a gluten-free dish to share.

What about dessert?

"If you've got your eating under control for the majority of the time, go ahead and have a piece of pie — just don't lose control entirely," Nelson told MyHealthNewsDaily. "Keep your willpower and your wits about you."

Late last month, a massive denial-of-service (DoS) attack shut down access to many popular sites like Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter. The way that hackers made the attack happen was by using millions of internet-connected devices to request access at the same time, effectively overloading the system.

Experts have warned that similar attacks could easily be repeated, and that shoring up security on products in the vast “Internet of Things” (IOT) should be a primary objective. While doing so will continue to be an on-going and massive undertaking, there are some things that consumers can do to make their devices secure so that hackers can’t get a hold of them.

The Washington Post has reported that knowing which devices are vulnerable and how you can protect them can keep your private information safe and prevent future large-scale attacks.

How to spot an IoT device

The first step to protecting yourself from hacking attempts is knowing which of your devices are susceptible to them. Unfortunately, from a security standpoint, the number of IoT devices is increasing at a dramatic pace; some experts estimate that there will be as many as 30 billion connected devices by the year 2020.

The simple way to identify an IoT device is to see if it can connect to the internet or shares information over a wireless network. Right away, consumers may easily be able to recognize devices like computers and smartphones, but other less obvious devices like security cameras, DVR’s, and even smart home technologies like thermostats can apply.

Protecting your devices

Unless these devices are protected by a secure password, a saavy hacker can take control of it and use it for nefarious purposes. So, to prevent that, always make sure to change the default password on any device that connects to the internet; you can look in the user manual to do this for many devices.

If that option isn’t available, try doing a web search for “default [product name] log-in and password.” Once you have the credentials, you can log in and change the password.

Another path that consumers might take is choosing not to buy certain products with online connectivity. While it may be useful for certain electronic gadgets, is it really all that important to have a refrigerator that can go online? If that answer for you is no, and you can’t password protect it, then maybe consider buying a different product.

If you are worried about the connectivity of any of your devices, you can always contact the manufacturer for more information. The Homeland Security Department also releases public alerts on security issues, vulnerabilities, and exploits through its website here.

It’s not uncommon to see shoppers at a grocery store or mall on their phones, either trying to stay connected or complete some other errand. But can this kind of multitasking make you a worse shopper?

A study from Concordia University and the BVA Group suggests that might be the case. Researchers A. Selin Atalay and Etienne Bressoud found that shoppers can have worse outcomes when given a shopping task depending on the additional tasks they try to complete at the same time.

They say that consumers with implementational, or “how,” mindsets can successfully complete multiple tasks. However, consumers with deliberative, or “why,” mindsets can be distracted and are generally less successful when given a shopping task.  

“[The results] suggest that shoppers in how-mindsets can multitask without any negative impact on shopping task performance. However, consumers in a why (deliberation) mindset are negatively affected by multitasking and this effect is mediated by task-induced stress,” they said.

Implementational vs. Deliberative

So, what exactly is the difference between an implementational mindset and a deliberative mindset? Basically, someone with an implementational (how) mindset is focused on how to accomplish a stated goal, such as the steps they’ll need to take to achieve it.

On the other hand, a person in a deliberative (why) mindset is more concerned with weighing the pros and cons of a stated goal. The researchers posit that a deliberative mindset can be much more stressful on consumers because it requires more cognitive resources. As a result, shoppers can become distracted and find it harder to stay on task.

The researchers tested their theory by creating shopping scenarios wherein participants were asked to complete a shopping task while multitasking. Participants were asked to buy low-calorie snacks for a small party, keeping in mind that they needed at least three different snacks that totaled less than 500 calories and weren’t that expensive. In addition to this task, some participants were asked to listen to a voicemail from a friend.

Added stress leads to worse outcomes

While the participants went about their shopping task, the researchers carefully recorded what kind of mindset each person was in. They found that participants who were in a “how” mindset were generally more focused on the task and were minimally affected by multitasking.

Participants who were in a “why” mindset were more likely to make faster and less careful decisions and were more distracted by multitasking. The researchers suggest that retailers find ways to reduce the stress of multitasking for deliberative consumers to give them more successful shopping experiences.

“Results demonstrate that interventions to reduce the stress level eliminates the negative impact of multitasking on consumers in why-mindsets. Taken together, the results suggest that interventions to channel consumers to an implementation mindset or strategies to alleviate the stress levels can help consumers avoid the negative impact of multitasking on shopping decisions,” they concluded.

The full study has been published in the Journal of Retailing. 

Increasingly, consumers are able to find attractive deals on holiday gift items without fighting the crowds on Black Friday

Then again, the way things are going, the stores might not be all that crowded on the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year.

Amazon says it isn't waiting any longer. Starting Friday, and for the next 35 days, it says it will offer “Black Friday prices” as often as every five minutes, with deals heating up on Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. Amazon is even launching a special app that can be downloaded for free to track the deals.

And customers with an iPhone can use something called Package X-Ray to see what is inside a box without opening it.

“Customers want to shop anywhere, any time, and any way, especially during the five super popular days for online shopping running from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday,” said Steve Shure, Vice President, Amazon.

Some of the deals

Among the daily deals, Amazon says it will mark down select Disney toys and apparel by 60%; Barbi, Hot Wheels, and Fisher-Price toys will be half off.

In Electronics, it will offer a Samsung 32 inch 720p HDTV for $69.99; Sennheiser HD 598 Cs Closed Back Headphones for $99.95; and a 60-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV for $599.

Among Amazon's own devices, the Amazon Echo will sell for a $40 discount; the Kindle For Kids bundle will go for $69.99; and the Amazon Fire TV will be on sale for $74.99.

In an email to ConsumerAffairs, a spokeswoman for Amazon says the company has observed that customers are shopping on mobile devices at record-levels. She says mobile use should easily exceed last season's 70% rate.

Meanwhile, a new report from Vivint Smart Home, which surveyed 2,000 consumers, found there is widespread concern about “porch pirates” swiping package deliveries, but most consumers have been slow to take action to improve security.

Millennials expressed the most concern and appear to be the most vigilant generation when it comes to package theft. The report found nearly 40% of Millennials have had success in recovering stolen packages.

Since airlines began tacking on fees for checked bags, airline passengers have tried to carry as much of their luggage as possible into the cabin of the aircraft, cramming it into the overhead bins.

A new fare from United Airlines aims to free up some space in the overhead compartments.

United has introduced what it calls its Basic Economy fare, which has a number of features. But the one getting the most attention is what passengers can and cannot carry on.

According to the airline, carry-on bags will be limited to one personal item, unless the customer is a MileagePlus Premier member, primary cardmember of a qualifying MileagePlus credit card, or Star Alliance Gold member.

And notably, that one carry-on item has to be small enough to fit under the seat. It's not going in the overhead bin. If the carry-on item doesn't fit under the seat, it will have to be checked and the passenger will be charged the applicable fee.

Other features

Other features of the Basic Economy fare include automatic seat assignments in which a party traveling together may not sit together and will be in the last boarding group. Basic Economy passengers will not be eligible for Economy Plus or premium cabin upgrades. There will also be no voluntary ticket changes except as stated in the United 24-hour flexible booking policy.

United says Basic Economy fares won't be offered in all markets, and the selection of flights where they are available will be subject to change. Consumers will know when it is available as an option because it will be displayed along with the rest of the flight's seating options.

“You'll be able to book Basic Economy tickets the same ways that you book other United flights, including through united.com, the United app, the United Customer Contact Center, a travel agency or other online booking tools,” the airline said.

Despite all the limitations, United is quick to point out that consumers flying Basic Economy will get many of the other amenities other coach passengers enjoy, including food and beverage service, in-flight entertainment, and Wi-Fi.

Even though consumers are using their smartphones instead of PCs more and more, nearly everyone has a computer or two around the house, taking up space. And because so much is being done on phones and tablets, computers might not be needed any longer.

Maybe you've thought about selling an unwanted device on Craigslist or taking it to an electronics recycler. Before you do, there are some steps you need to take to make sure that you have left no traces of sensitive personal information behind.

As you may have heard during the recent presidential campaign, simply deleting files isn't enough. All you're doing is deleting the way your device can quickly and easily find the information. The information is still there on your hard drive.

Reformatting the computer's hard drive may help a lot, and unless you have sensitive banking and other financial information on the drive, that might be enough. But even with reformatting, someone who knows that they are doing can probably retrieve some data. Some experts suggest using special software that overwrites your data so that it can't be read.

Windows wiping tool

PC World reports that, beginning with Windows 8, Microsoft added a feature to the operating system that makes wiping deleted files easier than it used to be. You simply use the “reset your PC” command, then choose the “fully clean the drive” option.

As you can see, it's hard to be sure you've completely wiped your hard drive. So, why not just discard your old machines? Sorry, that's not a good option either.

For starters, you could run afoul of the law. According to Earth911, many state laws are stricter than federal statutes when it comes to how you can get ride of an old computer. These devices contain all sorts of materials that are hazardous to the environment if they aren't discarded properly.

Your best bet may be a certified computer recycling center, which will take extensive steps to remove data before reusing the machine's components in other devices.

Applications for mortgages have now fallen for a fourth consecutive week.

Data released by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) show applications were down 9.2% in the week ending November 11, as contract interest rates rose to levels unseen -- in some cases -- since early this year

The Refinance Index plummeted 11% from the previous week to its lowest level since March 2016, with refinance share of mortgage activity dipping to 61.9% of total applications from 62.3% the week before.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity rose to 4.7% of total applications, the FHA share increased to 12.2% from 11.6% a week earlier, the VA share was 12.6%, and the USDA share of total applications slipped to 0.6% from 0.7% the week prior.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) rose 18 basis points -- from 3.77% to 3.95% -- its highest level since January, with points increasing to 0.39 from 0.38 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) increased to its highest level since January -- 3.89%, from 3.75% -- with points decreasing to 0.26 from 0.27 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA shot up 12 basis points to 3.73%, its highest level since April, with points decreasing to 0.28 from 0.35 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs rose to its highest level since March -- 3.15% from 3.03% -- with points decreasing to 0.29 from 0.38 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs surged 19 points to 3.11%, its highest level since March, with points decreasing to 0.42 from 0.47 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

"Following the election, mortgage rates saw their biggest week-over-week increase since the taper tantrum in June 2013, and reached their highest level since January of this year,” said MBA President and CEO David H. Stevens. “Investor expectations of faster growth and higher inflation are driving the jump up in rates, and rates have now increased for five of the past six weeks, spurring a commensurate drop in refinance activity."

The "taper tantrum," according to Investopedia, is the term used to refer to the surge in U.S. Treasury yields, which resulted from the Federal Reserve's use of tapering to gradually reduce the amount of money it was feeding into the economy.

It began when investors panicked in reaction to news of this tapering and drew their money rapidly out of the bond market, which increased bond yields The "taper tantrum," according to Investopedia, is the term used to refer to the surge in U.S. Treasury yields, which resulted from the Federal Reserve's use of tapering to gradually reduce the amount of money it was feeding into the economy.

It began when investors panicked in reaction to news of this tapering and drew their money rapidly out of the bond market, which increased bond yields drastically.

The survey covers over 75% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications.

Airlines canceled a miniscule 0.3% of their scheduled domestic flights in September.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), that's the lowest level for any of the 261 months with comparable records since January 1995. The previous low point had been 0.4% a year earlier.

In more good news for the flying public, airlines reported no tarmac delays of more than three hours on domestic flights and no tarmac delays of more than four hours on international flights.

Discrimination complaints

As it released its report, the government made information about discrimination complaints it's received public for the first time. The data covers the number of complaints received in each of the protected classes of race, ancestry, national origin, color, religion, and sex.

From January to September 2016, 67 complaints were filed by consumers claiming discrimination by airlines: 52 regarding race, eight regarding national origin, one regarding color, two regarding religion, and four regarding sex.

This is an increase from the 49 complaints alleging discrimination received during the first nine months of last year. In September 2016 alone, there were six complaints alleging discrimination -- three regarding race, two regarding national origin, and one regarding religion. This compared with the total of eight recorded in September 2015 and the 15 recorded in August 2016. All complaints alleging discrimination are investigated.

The consumer report also includes data related to on-time performance, chronically delayed flights, and the causes of flight delays, along with a range of issues such as flight problems, baggage, reservation and ticketing, refunds, customer service, and disability.

The complete report is available on the DOT website.

The mainstream media conveniently ignores that President-elect Donald Trump cares about birds. “The [Obama] administration fast-tracked wind projects that kill more than 1 million birds a year,” Trump told a group of oil men and women in North Dakota last May. In August, he furthered his stance, telling people: “The wind kills all your birds. All your birds, killed. You know, the environmentalists never talk about that.”

Wind in trouble?

It is no surprise, then, that shares in Vestas Wind Systems A/S, a Danish company that is the world’s biggest wind turbine producer, plunged by 14 percent shortly after Trump's victory. The company’s chairman told Bloomberg News that the American market is an important source of business, but he otherwise didn’t sound particularly worried. “I think Trump has a lot of other things to deal with right now rather than wind energy,” the chairman reportedly said.

Good business in Republican states

In Texas, which supplies more wind power than any other state in the country, wind developer and attorney Steven DeWolf founded Wind Tex Energy back in 2002. The company's projects now comprise an estimated 5 percent of the state’s wind energy.

“There is a fair amount of angst in the wind industry about what the Trump presidency will mean. I've seen some comments that it will be business as usual, I’ve seen others that it might change,” DeWolf tells ConsumerAffairs. “But my take on it is nothing will change in the next four years.” Like others, DeWolf doesn’t expect Trump to invest more in wind, but he also doesn’t anticipate losing the incentive programs that already exist.

Still, such incentive programs are designed to be phased out by that 2019 expiration date unless more legislation is passed. "I think most folks in the wind business would have liked to seen it [the tax credit program] stay at 100 percent a little bit longer,” says DeWolf, adding that while Texas wind developers are doing well, offshore wind development is unlikely to take off without generous incentives.

Fossil fuel subsidies outpace renewables

The more-of-the-same prediction is comforting enough for those who have already profited from wind energy, but environmental scientists say that much more government investment in renewables is necessary to halt climate change. Renewables receive $120 billion in incentives a year, an amount that is only a fraction of the subsidies that fossil fuels receive. According to the International Energy Agency, a Paris-based think tank, fossil fuels are enjoying $550 billion each year in subsidies. Such incentives, the IEA has said, discourage potential investments in cleaner energy.

In an interview with Marketwatch, an analyst was even less optimistic, telling the publication that Trump’s presidency and a Republican-controlled congress both pose “significant risks” to existing tax credit programs for solar and wind.

Trump's pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Myron Ebell, meanwhile, has dismissed concerns about climate change as mere "alarmism."

Most consumers accept that certain physical changes occur when we get older. To many, one of those conditions is worsening eyesight, but there are currently 11 million older Americans who suffer from a more severe eye condition.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease in which central vision – what you see when you are looking straight ahead – is lost in both eyes. The disease can be progressive, getting worse as consumers get older. There is currently no cure for AMD, but a new study has discovered its possible cause.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison believe that a certain protein called Transmembrane 135 (Tmem135) is responsible for age-related retinal decay. Their findings could provide “potential new therapy targets for AMD and similar retinal conditions that occur later in life.”

Mutated protein

Senior author Dr. Akihiro Ikeda and his colleagues discovered the protein after studying mouse models that had certain retinal abnormalities that mirrored conditions in older mice. Through genetic mapping, the researchers found that the symptoms were caused by a mutation in Tmem135.

Investigating further, the team found that the protein plays a key role in the size of mitochondira, an organelle in cells that produce energy. One researcher explains that, depending on whether or not it is acting properly, this protein is largely responsible for regulating the retina.

"The regulation of mitochondrial size by Tmem135 determines the sensitivity of cells to environmental stress and the pace of aging in the retina," says first author and postdoctoral associate Wei-Hua Lee. "On the other hand, mutations lead to higher sensitivity to such stress, showing that the protein is critical for protecting against this and for controlling the progression of retinal aging.”

Potential treatments

The fact that mutations of this protein are tied to both accelerated aging and age-dependent diseases shows that both processes are closely tied together. The researchers believe that further research could provide information that could help those affected by age-related eye diseases.

“Based on our findings, Tmem135 may be a key molecule that could tip the normal aging process toward age-dependent diseases and potentially be explored for future treatments," said Wei-Hua Lee.

The full study has been published in eLife.

Back in May, we reported how consumers were becoming increasingly frustrated with airport security delays. Lines in some of the nation’s prominent hubs seemed to be endless, but TSA stated that it was understaffed and unable to deal with the volume of travelers.

One solution that the agency suggested for passengers was enrolling in its PreCheck program, which makes the screening process much quicker. Officials hoped to enroll 25 million U.S. travelers in the program, but those numbers haven’t materialized – and now there appears to be another bump in the road.

According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, TSA has put the brakes on hiring private vendors that could help register fliers for TSA Pre-Check. The reason? The agency feels that using new vendors would be unwise “in light of the increased and evolving cybersecurity risks over the past year.”

Cybersecurity concerns

TSA officials say they are concerned that cyber criminals could target new vendors that perform background checks on passengers to steal private information.

While the move may be welcomed by privacy and consumer advocacy groups, it certainly won’t win many points with frustrated travelers who want to sign up for the program. Sources report that only 4 million people have been signed up for the TSA Pre-Check program thus far, well below their stated goal.

Critics say that the blame for future long lines may land squarely on TSA. For those who don’t remember how bad things got this past summer, here’s a video taken from a traveler at Chicago’s Midway airport. Please note that the footage does contain strong language.

Some hope

However, there is some hope that things will run more smoothly going forward. TSA Administrator Peter Neffenger has said that a plan approved by Congress – which created 13,068 new positions and converted 2,000 part-time screeners to full-time employees – could make a big difference in expediting the security check process.

Additionally, Neffenger stated that the agency has put together a “deployment force” made up of 1,000 screeners that can be sent to any airport that is expected to see an influx of air travelers. This mobile force could help alleviate the stress of many holiday travelers that are expected to surge in the coming months.

The Retail Litigation Center and the National Retail Federation say stores that accept American Express cards must abide by the American Express' rules.

One of those rules, they say, is retailers are barred from doing anything to encourage consumers from using a different credit card, with a lower processing fee. Retailers, quite naturally, would prefer not to have to pay American Express' higher swipe fee.

The two organizations have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals to hear retailers' challenge to the American Express rules, charging they are a violation of antitrust laws.

“While intense competition is a hallmark of the retail industry, it is largely absent from the credit card market where fees continue to skyrocket,” said RLC President Deborah White.

'Stifling competition'

White accuses American Express of stifling competition by imposing rules that don't allow retailers to offer consumers discounts or other incentives to use a lower-cost credit card. That, she says, ends up costing consumers money. She says the policy also prevents consumers from fully understanding their cost of using a credit card.

NRF Senior Vice President and General Counsel Mallory Duncan says the swipe fees retailers have to pay eventually get passed on to consumers.

“All swipe fees are too high, but American Express fees are among the highest,” Duncan said. “That’s their choice, but they should not be allowed to stand in the way of retailers simply asking their customers if they have another card.”

Government's position

Government regulators have weighed in on this issue in the past. Visa and MasterCard no longer impose a policy banning card steering after a 2010 settlement with the Justice Department. The Justice Department sued American Express over its rules and won in Federal Court in February.

But American Express appealed and a three judge panel of the 2^nd Circuit ruled in its favor in September. The Justice Department is now asking for a full court review of the case.

The case appears to be a continuation of the long-running conflict between retailers and card issuers over swipe fees.

After years of retailers complaining about swipe fees charged by credit card companies, the Federal Reserve moved in 2011 to cap the fees at a lower rate. But since Congress said the fees should reflect bank's actual costs, retailers maintain the fees are still too high.

For the second year in a row, the 2017 Honda Civic has driven away with Kelley Blue Book's (KBB) Overall Best Buy Award. The 2016 Civic took the honors last year.

In choosing the overall best buy, KBB said it looked at a wide range of data, including the transaction cost, how much it cost to own the vehicle for five years – including insurance and maintenance – and consumer reviews and ratings.

In winning Overall Best Buy two years running – the first vehicle to do so – the 2017 Civic was also named Best Small Car. KBB editors also chose winners in 11 other vehicle categories.

“Kelley Blue Book editors went to the unprecedented choice of honoring the Honda Civic as the Overall Best Buy for the second year in a row because of the Civic’s unsurpassed all-around value,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for KBB.com. “It turns in very high marks in objective measures like resale value and cost to own, yet it also is a supremely satisfying car to drive and live with every day.”

Other categories

The Honda Accord took honors for best mid-sized car. It won high marks for its strong resale value. The Chevrolet Impala was named best full-size car. The Impala won praise for its design and technology.

The Audi A4 won honors in the luxury car class. The editors cited excellent driving dynamics and lower overall ownership costs. The Porsche 718 Boxster, with its “newfound emphasis on fuel economy,” is the winner in the sports/performance category.

The Toyota Prius Prime was named best electric/hybrid, winning points for an expanded pure electric range. The Kia Sportage was named best small SUV/crossover, for its impressive warranty coverage.

The Honda Pilot claimed mid-size SUV/crossover honors, cited as he roomiest in its class. The Chevy Tahoe was named best full-size SUV/crossover, for its style, room, and comfort.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is KBB's Luxury SUV/crossover of the year, with class-leading safety and convenience technologies. The Ford F-150 is truck of the year, a perennial winner in that category.

“Vehicles in all segments are becoming better-equipped with more safety and tech features every year, so the competition is stiff for which models will take home a prestigious Best Buy Award,” Nerad said.

With Black Friday just days away, shoppers may get a sense of deja vu as they scan the ad slicks for bargains. They may see some of the same deals they saw last year.

Holiday shopping site BestBlackFriday.com analyzed every advertised deal from 25 stores, checking this year's ad against last year's. It found lots of re-runs.

“It is no big deal when stores are repeating a general 50% off all clothing deal, but it is concerning when stores are offering last year's electronics for more money,” said Best Black Friday principal Phil Dengler.

The analysis shows nearly all – 24 out of 25 stores – are repeating at least one deal from last year. Best Black Friday found three repeated deals at 22 stores and five repeated deals at 20 stores. More than half the stores had at least one repeated sales item they were charging more for this year.

Dengler says re-running a Black Friday deal from last year is not necessarily a bad thing, but it's something consumers should know about.

Imports are up

Meanwhile, retailers appear to be restocking their holiday shelves this year with more imported items. The National Retail Federation (NRF) reports imports at the nation’s major retail container ports should rise 4.4% this month, with a slightly bigger increase expected next month.

“Most of the holiday merchandise is already here, but retailers are still restocking to be sure shoppers will have a broad and deep selection as they hit the stores over the next several weeks,” said NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold.

Economists often watch retail imports for clues about the direction of the economy. Gold says the rise in end of the year imports suggests retailers expect to sell more this year than last year.

Private label credit cards

Consumers may be paying for their holiday purchases with more private label credit cards. A report from TransUnion shows the number of these accounts usually surges during December.

Consumers are getting increased access to retail cards during the holidays, mainly because stores offer discounts and other incentives for opening account while making a purchase. As we recently reported, consumers should use caution and carefully weigh any benefits before accepting these offers.

Consumers have seen gasoline prices drop sharply in the last week, falling more in some states than in others. But in point of fact, prices are just getting back to normal after speculation in the futures market added upward pressure in the two previous months.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of gasoline is $2.16 a gallon after falling over the last 10 days. That's down a nickel from a week ago and nearly a dime lower than a month ago. But it is exactly in line with last year's national average.

“The abundance of crude oil in the global market is contributing to lower prices, and as a result, retail averages are the same price as compared to one year ago,” AAA said on its website.

Stong dollar helping motorists

Another factor is at play here as well. The U.S. dollar has strengthened significantly since Donald Trump's election a week ago and, since oil is priced in dollars, oil prices have begun to fall even more.

They were moving in the other direction in September and October as speculators bet that OPEC members, which are scheduled to meet at the end of this month, would agree to cap production, to drive up oil prices. Wall Street optimism for such an agreement is fading, and the latest data shows OPEC has increased production in recent weeks.

Less demand

There also tends to be less demand for gasoline during the month of November, and with refinery maintenance mostly completed, the outlook is brightening for falling fuel prices into the end of the year.

In some states, the price at the pump is absolutely in a free-fall. In the last week, Indiana saw its statewide average plunge 14 cents a gallon. It's down 12 cents in Ohio, 11 cents in Michigan, eight cents in Kentucky and Illinois, and seven cents in Nebraska and Oklahoma.

The statewide average is below $2 in nine states, with the lowest prices in Missouri and Oklahoma, both of which are reporting an average price of $1.88 a gallon.

Retailers enjoyed a good October following an even better September.

The Commerce Department reports retail sales last month were up 0.8%, or $465.9 billion, and were 4.3% above the same month a year earlier.

In addition, the government revised it's September estimate to show a gain of 1.0% instead of the 0.6% advance initially reported.

Winners and losers

Most businesses saw sales increases last month, including gas stations (+2.2%), sporting goods, hobby, book & music stores (+1.3%), motor vehicle & parts dealers (+1.1%), and grocery stores (+0.7%).

Sales declines were suffered by furniture & home furnishing stores (-0.9%), department stores (-0.7%), and restaurants & bars (-0.7%).

Analysts at Briefing.com say the strong report indicates consumers are willing to spend more freely on discretionary items and that both the October and September numbers should help bolster fourth quarter GDP forecasts.

The complete report is available on the Commerce Department website.

Cedar Crest Specialties is recalling the following Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Monster Cookie and Pirate's Bounty ice cream flavors:

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date related to this recall.

The recalled products were distributed in retail stores throughout the Midwest.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may call 1-888-628-0730, Monday-Friday between 8AM and 4PM (CT).

Hammerhead Off-Road of Flower Mound, Texas, is recalling about 9,900 fun-karts.

The fuel tank can crack and cause the fuel to leak out, posing a fire hazard.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves model year 2009 through 2015 Hammerhead Off-Road GL 150, GTS 150 and GTS Platinum fun-karts.

The recalled fun-karts have two seats and a rear cargo rack and were sold in red, black, white, orange, blue and green. “GTS” is printed on the side cage and the hood of the GTS models and “Hammerhead” is printed on the hood of the GL models.

Serial numbers are printed on the cross bar behind the seats.

The fun-karts, manufactured in China, were sold at Hammerhead Off-Road dealers nationwide from August 2009, through July 2016, for between $2,100 and $2,900.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled fun-karts and contact Hammerhead Off-Road to schedule a free replacement of the fuel tank. The firm is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Consumers may contact Hammerhead Off-Road toll-free at 844-298-6528 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday, by email at mail@hammerheadoffroad.com or online at www.hammerheadoffroad.com and click on “Latest News” for more information.

A class action lawsuit charges that FCA (Chrysler) and diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. deceived consumers and regulators by concealing the high levels of diesel emissions produced by 2500 and 3500 Dodge RAM diesel trucks.

“The sheer level of fraud and concealment between Chrysler and Cummins is unconscionable, and we believe we have uncovered a deeply entrenched scheme,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman, the law firm representing truck owners. “Chrysler and Cummins spent years lying through their teeth and making empty promises to deliver the cleanest trucks on the market – lip service to deceptively dominate what they saw as a profitable market.”

The lawsuit charges that the companies intentionally misled truck buyers about the emission levels of the trucks, knowingly profiting from the allegedly dirty diesels and fraudulently getting emissions credits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that it then used to produce more high-polluting vehicles.

According to the report, the affected Cummins diesel engines conceal true emissions output, causing the catalytic converter to wear out more quickly, resulting in the vehicle burning fuel at a higher rate, and often requiring customers to replace the converter after the warranty has expired at a cost of approximately $3,000-$5,000.

Affected models

Affected Vehicles include the following models that are equipped with Cummins diesel engines: 2007-2010 Dodge RAM 2500 (2WD, 4WD), 2011-2012 Dodge RAM 2500 (non-SCR systems, 2WD, 4WD), 2007-2010 Dodge RAM 3500 (2WD, 4WD) and 2011-2012 Dodge RAM 3500 (non-SCR systems, 2WD, 4WD). 

“The two companies touted value to consumers in their marketing,” Berman added. “Was it valuable to consumers to force them to pay $3,000 to $5,000 for needless repairs of worn-out parts? Did it give consumers value to publicly lie to sell hundreds of thousands of noncompliant, polluting vehicles?”

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 14, 2016, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan seeks reimbursement for a proposed nationwide class of consumers who purchased the affected trucks, as well as putative damages for the defendants’ unlawful behavior, according to the suit.

The DPF

The issue centers around the sophisticaed nitrogen oxide (NOx) adsorber technology used in the RAM trucks with 6.7-liter diesel engines, which Chrysler and Cummins developed to meet new EPA emissions standards announced in 2001.

In order to produce a diesel engine that had desirable power and fuel economy, yet emissions levels low enough to meet government standards, Chrysler and Cummins developed the 6.7-liter diesel engine with sophisticated NOx adsorber technology.

The primary emission control after-treatment technologies include a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a NOx adsorber catalyst system to capture and reduce NOx into less harmful substances, such as nitrogen and oxygen.

But the lawsuit alleges that testing shows the catalysts are not durable and do not meet emission standards. Furthermore, injection of fuel to regenerate the DPF occurs with excessive frequency. NOx emissions during these regeneration events are nearly 10 times the emission standards, according to the lawsuit.

The legal limit of NOx emissions for stop-and-go driving is 200 mg/mile. When tested, Dodge RAM 2500s emitted 702 mg/mile on average, and 2,826 mg/mile at maximum emissions, the suit states.