My colleague Chelsey Levingston contributed this tidy little financial ray of sunshine:

Last year interest rates dipped to levels no banker or homebuyer probably ever thought they’d see, and it’s shaping up to be another low-interest-rate year in 2013. Interest rates nationally for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage hovered below 4 percent on average in 2012, according to Freddie Mac.

The Federal Reserve System is committed to low interest rates, but its interest rate doesn’t always directly affect mortgage rates, said Nick Maxwell, president of Dayton Mortgage Bankers Association.

“We likely won’t see any major increase in rates, so if rates begin to move they’ll probably move relatively slowly,” Maxwell said.

The existing home sales momentum is expected to continue into 2013 because of “more qualified buyers entering the market. As homes sell, that frees up a seller to become a buyer,” Maxwell said.

Chamber plans Cuba trip; cigars extra

Based on the success of a similar trip in 2012, the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce will lead a second “Discover Cuba” trip for chamber members and community leaders in July 2013, chamber officials announced in an email to members last week.

The itinerary includes a stay in Trinidad, a stop at the Bay of Pigs, and time in Cienfuegos and Havana. Accommodations in Havana will be in the historic Hotel Nacional. To learn more, attend a special travel presentation March 12 at the Dayton Chamber. Contact Stephanie Precht, sprecht@dacc.org, at the chamber for more information.

Retail holding its own, and expanding downtown

U.S. retail sales rose in January for a third consecutive month, suggesting that consumer spending is holding up better than expected even as a hike in the payroll tax takes a bigger bite from paychecks, according to Commerce Department figures released last week.

The 0.1 percent gain in January was smaller than the 0.5 percent increases in December and November, but matched the median estimates of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, according to Bloomberg.com.

And speaking of retail: another new retailer is coming to downtown Dayton. “Status” will open on or about Feb. 25 at 146 E. Third St. on the corner of Third and St. Clair streets, according to the Downtown Dayton Partnership. Status “is a store by men, for men” that “aims to provide a different spin on shopping,” according to a partnership news release.

The store will sell jeans, shirts, hoodies, shoes and hats, and will carry some women’s items. Its owner, Shaun Harris, told the partnership he’s aiming for a Feb. 25 opening. Status will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.