The Big Picture

Staff -- Tradeshow Week, 7/26/2004

Mergers and acquisitions

The number of acquisitions in the magazine and tradeshow fields doubled in the second quarter, compared with the same period last year, according to Whitestone Communications. The deals' total value was down 36 percent, Whitestone found.

May construction spending of $988.5 billion was up 0.3 percent from April, but 9.7 percent above the $985.7 billion spent in May 2003, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

First-quarter retail sales of $393 billion were down by $25.4 billion, or 6.1 percent, from the fourth quarter, but up by $38.7 billion, or 10.9 percent, from the first quarter of 2003, according to the Commerce Department.