|
Latest Articles: Business
Job-Creation Weakens, But Unemployment Rate Down
Post Date: 2013-10-22 13:56:13 by Brian S
4 Comments
September saw the U.S. economy add just 148,000 jobs, significantly worse than expected, according to a report delayed more than two weeks by the government shutdown. The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 7.2 percent, the lowest since November 2008, as the labor-force participation rate held near 35-year lows, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Private payroll creation stood at just 122,000, with state and local governments adding 28,000 positions and the federal government cutting by 6,000. (Read more: More young peopleare out of school...and out of work) Economists had been expecting 180,000 new positions and a steady jobless rate. "This kind of report adds to the ...
The Proper Role of Government in Science and Technology
Post Date: 2013-08-20 20:23:23 by jwpegler
2 Comments
America's economic might has always rested on our ability to innovate. The cotton gin, light bulb, air plane, assembly line, microprocessor, internet, e-commerce... America has thrived because our system supported an environment of both technological and business innovation. For the last several decades, there has been a lot of debate in this country about the proper role of government in science and technology. The debate crosses ideological lines. For the purposes of our discussion, let's define three terms: 1.) Basic research focuses on creating and testing fundamental theories. 2.) Applied research examines those fundamental theories in the context of a specific set of ...
Home Prices Climb in 87% of U.S. Cities Amid Recovery
Post Date: 2013-08-08 17:15:36 by Brian S
0 Comments
Prices for single-family homes climbed in 87 percent of U.S. cities in the second quarter as the national housing recovery accelerated amid competition for a limited number of properties on the market. The median transaction price rose from a year earlier in 142 of 163 metropolitan areas measured, the National Association of Realtors said in a report today. A year earlier, 75 percent of regions had gains. Values are increasing as homebuyers, encouraged by improving employment, compete for a tight supply of listed properties. At the end of the second quarter, 2.19 million previously owned homes were available for sale, 7.6 percent fewer than a year earlier, according to the Realtors group. ...
Services in U.S. Expand at Fastest Pace in Five Months
Post Date: 2013-08-05 11:06:02 by Brian S
0 Comments
Service industries in the U.S. expanded in July at the fastest pace in five months, a sign the world’s biggest economy will improve after slowing the last three quarters. The Institute for Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index increased to 56, exceeding all forecasts in a Bloomberg survey, from a more than three-year low of 52.2 in June, a report from the Tempe, Arizona-based group showed today. The median estimate called for a gain to 53.1. Readings higher than 50 indicate growth in the industries that make up almost 90 percent of the economy. The figures follow the group’s report last week that showed manufacturing advanced at the fastest rate in more than two ...
Payrolls in U.S. Rose 162,000 in July as Unemployment Rate Fell to 7.4%
Post Date: 2013-08-02 11:07:27 by Brian S
0 Comments
Employers added fewer workers than anticipated in July and the U.S. jobless rate dropped to 7.4 percent, indicating uneven progress in the labor market. The 162,000 increase in payrolls last month was the smallest in four months and followed a revised 188,000 rise in June that was less than initially estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 93 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 185,000 gain. Workers spent fewer hours on the job and hourly earnings fell for the first time since October. The slower pace of hiring suggests some employers are confident they’re able to meet demand with current staffing levels as the economy begins ...
Construction Spending in U.S. Unexpectedly Declined in June
Post Date: 2013-08-01 11:08:44 by Brian S
0 Comments
Construction spending in the U.S. unexpectedly dropped in June for the first time in three months, easing off an almost four-year high amid government cutbacks. Outlays (CNSTTMOM) decreased 0.6 percent to a $883.9 billion annual rate after a 1.3 percent increase in May that was almost three times larger than previously estimated, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast of 49 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.4 percent rise. Government outlays slumped to the lowest level since 2006. A sustained pickup in the housing market combined with gains in non-residential building will be needed to overcome government budget cuts that have restrained ...
General Motors July Sales Up 16 Percent On Strong Sales Of Big Pickup Trucks
Post Date: 2013-08-01 10:46:05 by Brian S
2 Comments
DETROIT — General Motors Co. says its July U.S. sales rose 16 percent on big gains in full-size pickup trucks. The company’s increase leads all automakers that have reported numbers on Thursday. Nissan, Chrysler and Ford all had 11 percent increases. GM says it sold just over 234,000 vehicles last month. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups combined rose 46 percent to almost 99,000. Truck sales continue to grow on rising demand from home builders and other businesses. GM says passenger car sales were up 24 percent over a year ago. The Chevrolet Impala saw a 38 percent sales increase as new models reached showrooms. Sales of the Cadillac and Chevrolet brands ...
Manufacturing In The U.S. Expanded At The Fastest Pace In More Than Two Years
Post Date: 2013-08-01 10:42:20 by Brian S
0 Comments
Manufacturing in the U.S. expanded at the fastest pace in more than two years as orders and production jumped, indicating more factories were growing optimistic about the second half of the year. The Institute for Supply Management’s factory index increased to 55.4, the strongest since June 2011 and exceeding the highest projection in a Bloomberg survey of economists, after 50.9 in the prior month, the Tempe, Arizona-based group’s report showed today. Readings above 50 indicate expansion, and the median forecast of 84 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for an advance to 52. Sustained demand for automobiles and for materials tied to the recovery in housing are keeping ...
Short on cash? Sell some stock in yourself
Post Date: 2013-07-28 20:23:55 by A K A Stone
0 Comments
Entrepreneur Nathan Sharp raised $50,000. He is repaying investors 2.5% of his income. (Ethan Barr) Shane Gring was barely scraping by. Saddled with nearly $50,000 in student loans and credit card debt, the 26-year-old Denver, Colorado, entrepreneur needed a way to supplement his income while getting his start-up off the ground. So, Gring, who runs BOULD, a company that teaches people how to build green homes, decided to crowdfund himself. Gring hopes to raise $20,000 on Pave, a crowdfunding platform where young American entrepreneurs, artists, students and other “prospects” raise money from accredited investors in exchange for a percentage of their future income. So far, ...
Ford’s Best to Come as Record Profit Precedes Sales Surge
Post Date: 2013-07-25 11:40:13 by Brian S
0 Comments
Ford Motor Co. (F), fresh off record first-half profit in North America, has plenty left in the tank as it builds more of the models pacing the U.S. auto industry’s growth. Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, made $4.77 billion in its home region during the year’s first six months, driven by surging demand for Fusion family cars and F- Series pickups. The Dearborn, Michigan-based company is adding factory capacity to build more of both of those models starting this quarter. Even with limited supply of models such as Fusion, which quickly became one of the top-selling cars in the U.S., Ford has gained the most share in a home market that continues to accelerate more rapidly ...
GM Beats Profit Estimates Ahead of New Model Wave
Post Date: 2013-07-25 11:13:20 by Brian S
0 Comments
General Motors Co. (GM)’s second-quarter profit beat analysts’ estimates as the largest U.S. automaker is poised for growth with the one of the biggest waves of new models in its history. Profit excluding one-time items was 84 cents a share, GM said, exceeding the 77-cent average of 13 estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That compares with 90 cents a share a year earlier. GM rose 0.6 percent to $37.37 at 9:46 a.m. New York time. The shares earlier touched $37.71, the highest intraday price since January 2011. Demand for pickups in the U.S. as well as Cadillacs and Buicks in China boosted revenue 3.9 percent. The growth for GM, along with Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC, is ...
New Home Sales at Highest Level in 5 Years
Post Date: 2013-07-24 10:56:06 by Brian S
0 Comments
Americans snapped up new homes in June at the fastest pace in five years, a sign the housing recovery is strengthening. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales rose 8.3 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 497,000. That's up from an annual pace of 459,000 in May, which was revised lower. While sales are still below the 700,000 pace consistent with healthy markets, they have risen 38 percent in the past 12 months. That's the biggest annual gain since January 1992. Home sales and prices have climbed since early last year, buoyed by solid hiring and low mortgage rates. Housing has helped drive economic growth this year at a time when other parts of ...
Malcom X on Entrepreneurship
Post Date: 2013-07-21 20:13:51 by jwpegler
1 Comments
Gold Sheds 3% as US Employment Data Beats Forecast
Post Date: 2013-07-05 14:04:55 by Brian S
11 Comments
Gold fell 3 percent on Friday, extending earlier losses as the dollar climbed after stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data, which could tempt the Federal Reserve to start scaling back its monetary stimulus later this year. The U.S. non-farm payrolls report showed employers added 195,000 new jobs to their payrolls last month, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.6 percent as more people entered the workforce. Economists had forecast new jobs of 165,000. The data could affect the timing of the U.S. central bank's expected scaling down of its $85 billion monthly bond purchases, the prospects of which has already triggered turbulence across major asset classes worldwide. Spot gold ...
Economy Adds 175,000 Jobs In May; Unemployment Rate Rises To 7.6%
Post Date: 2013-06-07 11:19:25 by Brian S
0 Comments
WASHINGTON -- The nation kept up its moderate but steady job growth in May as employers added 175,000 net new positions, slightly higher than the prior month, the government reported Friday. The unemployment rate edged up to 7.6% from 7.5% in April. That was the first increase since the year began with a jobless figure of 7.9%, but the rise was partly because more people reentered the job market last month -- a sign that workers may be feeling more hopeful about their hiring prospects. In general, recent surveys have suggested improved public confidence about the economy as stocks and home prices have moved higher and the recovery seems to be weathering setbacks from federal spending cuts ...
The Dismal (But Necessary) Science
Post Date: 2013-05-12 10:32:12 by CZ82
4 Comments
The Dismal (But Necessary) Science Written on Thursday, May 9, 2013 by Robert Owen One of the first things my economics professor told our class was that economics has been referred to as “the dismal science”. The second thing he told us was that the economics textbook could cure insomnia. I found that in his second thought he was absolutely correct. The book was deadly boring. But economics as a dismal science is totally wrong. While the book was useful for looking up individual facts, it was unreadable. In class, however, with human interaction in the form of questions and debate, economics became vibrant and exciting. So much of human interaction is based on economics, I ...
The Stupid Party
Post Date: 2012-12-28 21:45:16 by jwpegler
2 Comments
The stupid party... My wife and I are both small business owners. We bust our ass every day to serve our customers. We both work 60 to 80 hours every week. Because we are modestly successful, we pay the top tax rate. Obama and the Democrats want to screw us and make us pay more because we are so "rich". But the super rich like Warren Buffet, Opra, Loyld Blankfien (Goldman Sacs), and Steven Speilberg pay much less than we do as a percentage of their income because of the special interest deductions they get and also because a lot of their income is so-called "investment" income rather than "earned" income. The GOP are idiots. They COULD take their basic ...
We Are Witnessing The Death Of Small Business In America
Post Date: 2012-12-14 10:46:40 by Hondo68
2 Comments
Historically, small businesses have been the primary engine of new job creation in the United States. If the economy was getting healthy, we would expect to see the number of jobs at new businesses rise. Instead, we are witnessing just the opposite. We are told that the economy is supposed to be "recovering", but the number of "startup jobs" at new businesses has fallen for five years in a row. According to an analysis of U.S. Department of Labor data performed by economist Tim Kane, there were almost 12 startup jobs per 1000 Americans back in the year 2006. By 2011, that figure had fallen to less than 8 startup jobs per 1000 Americans. According to Kane, the number of ...
No King, No Queen, No Lords, No Ladies
Post Date: 2012-12-12 16:33:33 by Capitalist Eric
1 Comments
The end-result of any powerful bureaucracy with tons of rules and regulations is a neo-feudal state. But, Sarah, you say, what if the rules and regulations are designed to protect the little guy from the big guys? What if they’re designed to keep free competition and make the individual competitive? Well, then the bureaucrats have got better at disguising their intent, but for the result, refer to the first line. Let me explain – regardless of what the supposed intent of the rules and regulations: clean air, clean water, competitiveness, honesty, what all rules and regulations imposed by a government do is a) create a bureaucracy. b) add to the cost of doing business/existing ...
Sorry Protesters: Your Jobs Are Being Sent To China And They Aren't Coming Back
Post Date: 2012-12-12 15:03:23 by Hondo68
3 Comments
Did you see the huge crowds of protesters that flooded the Michigan Capitol on Tuesday? They were there to protest two bills there were being considered by the state legislature that would limit the power of unions in the state. Michigan lawmakers approved the bills and this absolutely infuriated the protesters. There is a lot of passion on both sides of this debate, but I am afraid that both sides in this debate are missing the bigger picture. If we keep shipping millions of our jobs to China, there isn't going to be work for anyone no matter how much power unions have or don't have. During the month of October, the U.S. trade deficit increased to 42.2 billion dollars. Our trade ...
U.S. Adds 146,000 Jobs; Jobless Rate Falls to 7.7%
Post Date: 2012-12-07 09:20:17 by Brian S
1 Comments
The government said Friday that employment growth was much better than expected in November, with the United States economy adding 146,000 jobs and the unemployment rate falling to 7.7 percent. The jobless rate was the lowest since December 2008. Economists had estimated the Labor Department would report that only 86,000 jobs were created in November and that the rate of unemployment would remain flat at 7.9 percent. The strength of the numbers was all the more notable because many experts expected a muted jobs performance because of the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which hit the East Coast on Oct. 31. The Labor Department revised its job growth figures for October and September downward. ...
CEO: Apple Plans To Bring Manufacturing Of Computers Back To U.S. Next Year
Post Date: 2012-12-06 10:42:03 by Brian S
1 Comments
NEW YORK — Apple plans to bring some manufacturing of its computers from China to the United States next year, chief executive Tim Cook said, in a move which may help spark more domestic high-tech production. Cook, in two interviews released Thursday, said one line of Mac computers will be made exclusively in the United States, but did not say which one, nor did he say where the manufacturing would be done. The interviews with NBC News, to air later Thursday, and with Bloomberg Businessweek, were the first since Cook took the reins at Apple from Steve Jobs, who died last year from cancer. “Next year we’re going to bring some production to the US,” Cook told ...
Jobless Claims in U.S. Decline as Sandy Effect Wanes
Post Date: 2012-12-06 10:34:03 by Brian S
0 Comments
Fewer Americans than projected filed applications for unemployment benefits last week as disruptions caused by superstorm Sandy waned. Jobless claims decreased by 25,000 to 370,000 in the week ended Dec. 1, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 52 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a drop to 380,000. A Labor Department spokesman said there was nothing unusual in last week’s data. The mid-Atlantic region, which employs about 14 percent of U.S. workers, is recovering after Sandy. Apart from the storm- related damage -- which may also be reflected in the November payrolls report tomorrow -- employers will probably curb hiring until the ...
US Factory Orders up 0.8 Percent in October
Post Date: 2012-12-05 10:40:49 by Brian S
0 Comments
Orders to U.S. factories rose modestly in October, helped by a big gain in demand for equipment that reflects business investment plans. Factory orders edged up 0.8 percent in October, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. That compared to September when orders had jumped 4.5 percent. Orders for core capital goods, a category viewed as a good proxy for business investment plans, increased 2.9 percent in October, the biggest increase in eight months. That represented an upward revision from an initial estimate of 1.7 percent. The increase came after big declines in the investment category this summer. Orders for durable goods rose 0.5 percent in October, up from a preliminary estimate ...
Growth of US Service Firms Accelerated Last Month
Post Date: 2012-12-05 10:39:20 by Brian S
1 Comments
U.S. service companies grew at a slightly faster pace in November because sales and new orders rose, a good sign for the economy. The Institute for Supply Management says its index of non-manufacturing activity rose to 54.7 from 54.2 in October. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion. That's above the 12-month average of 54.4. The report measures growth in a broad range of businesses from retail and construction companies to health care and financial services firms. The industries covered employ about 90 percent of the work force. A measure of employment fell sharply but still showed companies added workers last month.
Latest [Newer] 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 [Older]
|
