The CE industry may be in for a rocky holiday season, as early promotions, lean inventories, an unstable economy, and a surfeit of legacy products produce a volatile brew for the back half of 2012.

CEA's Shaw DuBravac presents a mid-year update at the CEA Research Summit.

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) chief economist and senior research director Shawn DuBravac provided the mixed forecast at yesterday's CEA Research Summit, here, which kicked off the three-day series of conferences, line shows and vendor events known as CE Week.

Setting the backdrop for Holiday 2012, DuBravac painted an erratic macroeconomic picture that could pressure consumer spending throughout the second half. While technology products held up better than other durable goods last year, led by demand for smartphones and tablets, CE has been losing that lead through the first six months of 2012, as overall consumer spending falls from last year's levels. 

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