It’s November now and like it or not, the holiday season is just ahead. Creighton University economist Dr. Ernie Goss says November and December usually provide a much-needed boost for many Iowa businesses, and this year’s expected to be no exception. Goss says new figures indicate it’ll be a moderate-to-average buying season for merchants large and small in the Hawkeye State.Spending numbers from the U.S. Commerce Department show consumers are pulling back a bit. Goss says the Christmas buying season will be “okay” but it’s also not going to be that great.Spending during the holidays this year may be up three-to-four percent from last year. Goss says Iowa’s economy saw “negative growth” for the month of October, the second month in a row the state’s index of economic activity was bogged in the red.The state’s seen significant job cuts lately, in fact, there have been 136 “mass layoffs” this year, meaning eliminations of fifty or more workers.
