Despite positive economic indicators in recent months, American consumer sentiment was largely unchanged in March, with the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment reading 76.5 compared to 76.9 a month earlier. Consumers' one-year inflation expectations were also steady at 3%, with a five-year inflation outlook at 2.9%.

Pennsylvania-based redistributor OmniCable created a new communications business unit to support the enterprise and broadband markets. OmniCable's enterprise unit is aimed at serving data centers, industrial automation and smart building distributors, with the broadband segment focused on builders and managers of fiber-based communication and internet networks. David Bemoras, president of the new business unit, said the company's mission is "to sell exclusively to electrical and communications distributors and be there in their greatest moment of need."

Home builders are more optimistic about their business prospects than at any time since July, according to the latest National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. Improved sales conditions, future expectations and buyer traffic drove the rebound despite elevated mortgage rates. NAHB Chairman Carl Harris said buyer demand is strong, but challenges remain, including labor shortages and rising building costs.

US container import volume for February was down 6% from January but marked a 23.3% year-over-year increase, per Descartes, which it partially attributes to later factory closures for Chinese Lunar New Year in 2024 that it expects to be reflected in March volumes. East and Gulf Coast ports also experienced a rising share of US imports for the month reaching 44%.

Warehouse robotics are advancing rapidly, with robotic arms and suction cup 'hands' demonstrating increasing dexterity and ability. While these systems have limitations in areas such as speed, adaptability and potential for errors, experts say they could offer a solution to the problem of recruiting labor to work in demanding industrial environments.

CBRE predicts three warehouse hotspots for 2024, including Savannah, Ga., driven by port volume growth; Southern California, where space is easing and rents are dropping; and El Paso, Texas, which is benefiting from nearshoring. "Despite all the economic uncertainty, consumers continue to consume," and "that means that some occupiers who are waiting are just going to have to get back into the game and restart their expansion plans," says James Breeze, CBRE vice president.

Distributors need to keep their finger on the pulse of evolving business-to-business ecommerce trends, which include being the resource for customers' research and expanding omnichannel capabilities, especially mobile technology and social media, writes Mohan Natarajan, a services practice leader at software provider DCKAP. Distributors should also use AI to personalize offerings, optimize the user's online experience, prioritize agility in business operations and increase the transparency of supply chains and sustainability practices, Natarajan writes.

A survey of US CEOs by PwC found cybersecurity to be a top concern and 77% of respondents saying generative AI will likely increase cybersecurity concerns. Transparency and trust are seen as critical to the successful adoption of generative AI.

More than two-thirds of economists surveyed in a Financial Times-Chicago Booth poll think the Federal Reserve will make one or two cuts this year, with most expecting the first cut to be made in either July or September. Markets are expecting three cuts, with the first expected in June or July. The Fed has also predicted three cuts this year.

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