Make wishtv.com your home page

Wednesday’s business headlines

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Here’s a look at Wednesday’s business headlines.

Elkhart

Elkhart, which bills itself as the RV Capital of the World because its region is the country’s leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles, topped Wall Street Journal – Realtor.com housing index this quarter.

The index identifies the top metro areas for homebuyers seeking an appreciating housing market and appealing lifestyle amenities.

The top-ranked markets this quarter had faster-growing populations and more shopping interest from shoppers outside their metro areas than the market as a whole.

Smaller towns dominated the list as high housing costs and remote-work opportunities drive many home buyers to seek out more living and outdoor space.

Holiday spending

American consumers are expected to have $46 billion less to spend on items like holiday presents this year, according to one study.

That’s because of sharply rising inflation – a good part of which is tied to a big jump in the cost of gasoline and heating oil.

With more pain at the pump, there’s less money for the fun stuff.

Romance scams

Romance scams cost consumers a record $304 million as more people searched for love online during the pandemic.

The FTC says as the pandemic pushed people to spend more time online, criminals targeted people on dating apps and social media platforms, especially older Americans.

Adults 60 and older lost $139 million to romance scams in 2020.

Brachs

Brachs, the candy corn maker, was hit with a ransomware attack.

It reportedly found it had been attacked on Oct. 9 by ransomware that locked down some of its systems and halted manufacturing in some plants.

Halloween candy won’t be impacted.