Denver Metro Economy Slows

The Denver metro economy is increasing at half the pace of last year. As of September, retail sales, as measured by sales tax collections, have increased 3.3 percent over September 2012. Retail sales grew 8.8 percent in 2012.

A recent business study confirms the slower growth when it reported that the region’s “gross domestic product” (value of all goods and services produced) was down to 2 percent this year from 2.5 percent last year.

The stock market, of course, has ignored the economy and boomed. It broke an intraday high of 16,000 this week, and is up 22 percent since January.