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By The Numbers

My true love gave to me … inflation

Marketplace Staff Dec 21, 2015
25 percent

That’s how much more expensive a partridge is to purchase this year than last, according to PNC Wealth Management. The company monitors the cost of the gifts in the carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” as a festive version of the consumer price index. As the New York Times writes, the cost of the pear tree also went up 1.2 percent. But fret: The price tag of the entire collection of gifts has slowed down its growth over the last couple years.

$60,000

That’s how much Dee Sinclair, also known as Santa Dee, can make in a single holiday season. He owns a company called “The Real Black Santa,” which employs African-American Santas for events and appearances. Businesses like Sinclair’s have seen an increase in the demand for African-American Santas — so much so, many are having trouble keeping up with requests.

2.5 percent

That’s how much home values were found to decrease after 10 years when low-income housing was built nearby, according to research out of Stanford University. Homes half a mile or more from low-income housing were found to be unaffected in terms of value. Still, even with evidence of little to no affects on the real-estate market, cities like Yonkers, New York have still seen fierce debate over the construction of low-income housing.

$3.5 billion

That’s the size of the U.S. cannabis market. And that huge amount of money flowing through the industry also means a large demand for supply. Which, as Bloomberg reports, is where the weed-growing industry gets not very green. Cannabis production puts out greenhouse gasses on par with the output of the state of New Hampshire’s cars, homes and businesses.

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