When conducting its May consumer confidence survey, The Conference Board asked extra questions about consumers’ budgeting strategies.
3 Books to Check Out in February
This month, National Jeweler recommends three recently released titles that take a deeper look at 21st century business trends.

New York--Ten years ago saw the release of the first iPhone and no one had heard of Airbnb or Uber.
A lot of changes have transpired in a decade and this month, National Jeweler is recommending retailers peruse three titles that provide in-depth analyses of business trends that are distinctly of the 21st century.
To learn more about or buy these books, links are provided to cultural institution Powell’s Books, located in Portland, Oregon, and known as the world’s largest independent bookstore.
1. “Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction”
Derek Thompson
The Atlantic Senior Editor Derek Thompson explores what makes a hit a hit from an economic angle in “Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction,” released this month.
Arguing that no hit song, movie or app becomes successful through luck alone, Thompson explores the circumstances that provide the foundation for something’s popularity today.
“Hit Makers” is 352 pages.
2. “Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations”
Thomas L. Friedman
Feel like changes in technology develop at a breakneck pace these days? In “Thank You for Being Late,” three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman distills the rapid developments of the 21st century into understandable trends.
With an optimist’s point-of-view, Friedman examines recent dramatic changes in technology, the global market and Mother Nature, and how people can utilize positive aspects of these changes to not only work for them, but to protect the future for all.
Released in November, this book is 496 pages.
3. “The Upstarts: How Uber, Airbnb, and the Killer Companies of the New Silicon Valley are Changing the World”
Brad Stone
Out last month, “The Upstarts” by Brad Stone takes a magnifying glass to Silicon Valley businesses that have disrupted traditional business models.
Stone focuses on the leaders of Uber and Airbnb and what they have in common, plus the tough financial times they’ve had to endure to reach their current successes.
“The Upstarts” is 384 pages.
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