Review the ratio analyses and financial forecasts for Home Depot and Lowes. Write a 4-5 page paper including a Word document of the economic discussion in APA format and an Excel spreadsheet for the ratio portion as detailed below. Refer to the attached document for the grading rubric.

State your preference for which company and explain why.

Compute and compare 2013 financial results for both companies.

Include a macro and micro economic analysis of the industry.

Explain which company you prefer.

o Financial Analysis and Forecasting EXHIBIT 1 | Sales Figures for Retail-Building-Supply Industry Sales (Sbillions)1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002E 2006E 26.2 26.2 89.0 91.9 Hardware Home centers Lumber Total market 26.0 102.0 66.0 138.8 149.5 159.7 168.0 174.2 178.2 194.0 22.8 64.5 51.5 59.0 60.1 Share of Market Home Depot, Inc. Lowe's Companies TruServe Corp. Menard, Inc. 2001 22.9% 10.8% 2.9% 1 .5% Source: Economist Intelligence Unit. o Financial Analysis and Forecasting EXHIBIT 1 | Sales Figures for Retail-Building-Supply Industry Sales (Sbillions)1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002E 2006E 26.2 26.2 89.0 91.9 Hardware Home centers Lumber Total market 26.0 102.0 66.0 138.8 149.5 159.7 168.0 174.2 178.2 194.0 22.8 64.5 51.5 59.0 60.1 Share of Market Home Depot, Inc. Lowe's Companies TruServe Corp. Menard, Inc. 2001 22.9% 10.8% 2.9% 1 .5% Source: Economist Intelligence Unit