The Discover® Small Business WatchSM rose sharply in October 2006 as business owners reported improvements in cash flow and greater willingness to invest in business development. The Watch, based on surveys with 1,000 small business owners, rose to 120 from 107.7 in September.
U.S. homeowners see their homes as a sound financial investment and want to make improvements, according to the Wells Fargo Third Annual Survey of U.S. Homeowners.
It's a job seeker's market for educated professionals like accountants, engineers and nurses, according to a survey released today by Manpower Professional. With 45 percent of employers reporting difficulty filling these types of positions, the United States is among countries with the most serious talent shortages. The tight supply of professionals is putting upward pressure on wages with 38 percent of U.S. employers paying higher wages for the same positions compared to the previous year.
The Conference Board announced today that the U.S. leading index increased 0.1 percent, the coincident index remained unchanged and the lagging index increased 0.2 percent in September.
Mortgage rates rose this week following investors' concerns of inflation. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose this week to 6.42 percent, up from 6.31 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the 30-year fixed rate mortgages had an average of 0.32 discount and origination points.
Varied economic indicators produced by The Conference Board are now pointing to slow growth ahead in the U.S., but not a recession, according to an analysis released today by The Conference Board, the global research and business membership organization.
Ford Motor Co. will begin offering its previously-disclosed buyout or early retirement packages to all 75,000 of its U.S. hourly employees starting next week.
Bargain Network, a online provider of real estate foreclosure, pre-foreclosure and for-sale-by-owner properties and information, reported today based on estimates that foreclosure activity in the third quarter of 2006 (July-to-September) climbed approximately 14 percent compared to the second quarter of 2006 (April-to-June). This also marks a 39 percent increase in foreclosure activity compared to the same quarter last year.
The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded an underwriting profit of $15.1 billion during the first six months of 2006, a 31.8% increase from the first six months of 2005, according to an exclusive A.M. Best special report excerpt in the Oct. 9 BestWeek.
The funded status of a typical U.S. pension plan fell 0.2 percent in September as liabilities rose 1.7 percent, which was faster than the 1.5 percent rise in the value of assets at a typical moderate risk benchmark portfolio, according to Mellon Financial Corporation. Mellon tracks the financial health of U.S. pension plans through its Mellon Pension Liability Indexes.
