Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - Mar 15, 2018

St Patrick's Day:

The National Retail Federation says St. Paddy's revelers are likely to inject a record $5.5 billion into the economy, with some 149 million observing the holiday and spending to celebrate it. The study is based on over seven-thousand consumers and predicts an average spend of $39.65 per celebrant.
NRF reports that the holiday is most popular among young adults between 18 and 24, with 70-percent planning to celebrate. (But those in the 25-to-34 bracket spend the most.)
NRF finds 31-percent plan to make a dinner to mark the day, 27-percent are headed to a bar or restaurant, with 21-percent planning to attend a private party. 83-percent plan to wear green.
Editor's note: It's worth noting that the holiday accounts for one percent of annual beer sales, and is typically one of the deadliest driving days, with 40-percent of all crash fatalities that day involving drunk drivers. And we mean really drunk: A government study found that in 75-percent of accidents involving fatalities that day, drivers were two times over the legal limit. (Kaye)

Where do they party hardest for St. Patrick? WalletHub ranks Boston as the number one city, based on a formula balancing traditions, cost, weather, safety and accessibility, followed by Buffalo, Omaha, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. (It says Pittsburgh, Boston and Omaha have the highest density of people of Irish descent. --Kaye)

Trendspotting:

Sales of high heels dropped 12 percent last year, while sales of women's sneakers rose 37 percent to $2.3 billion dollars. The Washington Postsays the trend toward more sneaker-buying can be tied to more causal workplaces. The resurgent feminist movement is also likely playing a role, thanks the Women's March, the #MeToo movement protesting sexual assault harassment and the #TimesUp movement to promote gender equality in the workplace. Evidence of the shift was seen in the recent spate of runway shows, like Marc Jacobs lace-up brogues and crystal embellished flats. Nike is also getting in on the action, launching its new female-focused Nike Unlaced limited-edition styles for lady sneaker-heads. (Bartha)

Grace notes from Vinny Marino:

The late STEPHEN HAWKING is featured on a PINK FLOYD song. That's his electronic voice on "Keep Talking," from the band's 1994 album, "The Division Bell." Guitarist DAVID GILMOUR said he first heard Stephen's speech on a TV ad for British Telecom. He told the UK newspaper, The Guardian, that Hawking's words made the spot (quote), "the most powerful piece of television advertising that I've ever seen in my life." Hawking says (quote), "For millions of years mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination: we learned to talk. It doesn't have to be like this. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking." (Marino)