A cooling housing market has caused homeowners to spend less -- which will continue to lower supply-chain costs. "As we move into January, February, and March, retail slows down, so this trend will probably continue," says Dan Sanker, CEO and president of CaseStack, a logistics company based in Santa Monica, Calif. "Additional capacity will translate into lower trucking costs, and I'd also look for fewer increases in fuel costs in the short term, which is good for just about everybody."