Anheuser Busch Companies (BUD)

[FUNMAN]

Overall beer market to see lower volumes, but craft should enjoy 5 to 6 percent growth, report says

* The Brewers Association projects U.S. craft beer will generate 8 or 9 percent sales growth this year, below the 10 percent pace clocked in 2016.

* The craft market's volume growth is forecast to 5 to 6 percent higher this year, although far from the double-digit pace of the previous decade.

* Still, craft's volume growth compares favorably with a decline forecast this year in the overall beer category, according to a Susquehanna report.

* There are also "signs that the second half of the year has been a little bit better than last year," says the brewer trade group's economist.