Business Trends for 2012

Will the economy get worse or maybe a little better? Will consumers keep spending? From Entrepreneur.com, here are some big-picture business trends to keep in mind for the coming year.

Winter Sales Slump?
More than 40% of consumers said they overspent on the holidays according to a recent survey. As a result, sales in January and February may be more slow than usual.

Ever-shifting Markets
The small business climate is characterized by high fluctuations based on the seasons, unpredictable weather patterns and innovation. Be nimble and stay connected to your community.

Rising Prices
Discount-deal site Dealnews predicts that airfare, digital cameras, hard drives, desktop computers and groceries will top the list of goods that will see spiking prices.

Sluggish Venture-Capital Markets
IPOs in 2011 were down by 30% from 2010. Still, more IPOs are in the pipeline for 2012.

The Urge to Merge
Sell or grow through acquisition? The U.S. saw $821 billion in mergers and acquisitions in 2011. Consolidation will continue throughout the business world.

Election-Year Uncertainty
Businesses may be stalled by policy uncertainty as lawmakers either stagnate or pass laws just to appease constituents and win reelection.

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