Pent up demand for homes is on hold as home buyers continue to wait for lower prices. This month, 37% of households believe that housing prices will drop over the next six months, up a point from a month ago, and the most destabilized picture of home prices since these measurements have been made.

Americans love their cars, and America is a nation of roads, streets and byways. Most drivers also love comfort, read: size, horsepower and accessories. To offset the rising price of fuel, car owners are willing to drive less and to keep their cars longer. But they are not willing to give up their cars or even the comfort level that they are used to.

Assaults from many directions are challenging the complacency of consumers. Mass merchandising – built on popular brands, supported by advertising – was designed to relieve the consumer from worry about product quality and safety.

Wal-Mart is well on the way to becoming the nation’s largest healthcare provider. Its pharmacies provide service to nearly one in four American households (23%) who have filled a prescription there within the past 12 months, and for one in eight (12%) it is the primary pharmacy, the one used most by the household.

Americans are driving fewer miles. Between 2006 and 2007, miles put on cars declined by 13%. This is a finding from a national study completed in February by Leo J. Shapiro & Associates, in which owners of cars purchased a year or longer ago