Overstock.com saw its share price jump 25 percent this week after an impressive Q2 earnings report.
While Wall Street analysts predicted a negative quarter for the online home goods retailer, Overstock stunned investors on Thursday when it revealed that it brought in a record-high $782.5 million in net revenue.
"It was really gratifying to see new customers finding us, experiencing our website, and coming back and purchasing more," Jonathan Johnson, CEO of Overstock.com, told Cheddar Friday.
Johnson credits stay-at-home mandates during the second quarter for his company's success, as workers filled out home offices and residents decided to transform their backyards into private outdoor oases.
"There were a lot of people that were eager to get to the outside of their home in their yards and make them lovely with Overstock purchases," Johnson said. "We did see an early tick up in patio furniture — things for the outdoors like swing sets, above-ground pools."
While Johnson thinks predicting what the pandemic will bring next is a near-impossible task, he still believes a high level of demand can be sustained for the foreseeable future.
"I'm not sure consumers are ready to storm the stores again. I think online's going to be particularly strong," Johnson said, adding that Overstock intended to live up to its name. "Our partners are bringing in product as we speak."
Rising safety concerns over water bead products marketed to kids have prompted major retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart to pull some toys off their shelves.
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday it expects inflation to nearly hit the Federal Reserve's 2% target rate in 2024, as overall growth is expected to slow and unemployment is expected to rise into 2025, according to updated economic projections for the next two years.
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Americans picked up their spending from October to November as the unofficial holiday season kicked off, underscoring that shoppers still have power to keep buying.
The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate dropped below 7% to its lowest level since early August, another boost for prospective homebuyers who have largely been held back by sharply higher borrowing costs and heightened competition for relatively few homes for sale.
