Category Archives: Small Business
Obama to Roll Out Small-Business Lending Program
By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama will roll out a proposed $30 billion small-business lending program Tuesday, the next in a series of administration efforts to jump-start hiring by the nation’s small businesses.
The program, which Mr. Obama will detail at an appearance in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, would invest $30 billion from the government’s Troubled Asset Relief [...]
Job Openings in U.S. Fell by 156,000 in November
By Bob Willis
Jan. 12 (Bloomberg) — Job openings in the U.S. fell in November to the lowest level in four months, a sign employers are reluctant to expand staff even as payroll reductions waned from earlier last year.
Openings declined by 156,000 to 2.42 million, the second- lowest level since records began in 2000, the Labor [...]
US retail sales up 1.3% in time for holidays
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US retail spending jumped 1.3 percent in November led by auto and electronics sales, government data showed Friday in a positive economic sign amid the critical holiday shopping period.
The Commerce Department report, seen as a key to renewed economic growth, was much stronger than analyst expectations for a 0.6 percent rise.
Some special [...]
Manufacturing areas lead surprise job comeback
MIKE BAKER, Associated Press Writer
CONOVER, N.C. – As record numbers of orders flow through Legacy Furniture Group’s manufacturing plant, workers toil between towers of piled foam and incomplete end tables precariously stacked five pieces high.
With a 10 percent sales growth this year, Legacy has quickly forgotten the recession’s low point in March, when weak [...]
What Recovery? U.S. Consumers Getting “Dramatically Worse,” Howard Davidowitz Says
Posted Dec 01, 2009 07:30am EST by Aaron Task
According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend were $41.2 billion, up slightly from a year ago, while about 195 million consumers shopped, up from 172 million last year.
Meanwhile, Coremetrics says the average online shopper spent 35% more on Black Friday [...]
Small Businesses Could Face New Credit Squeeze
EMILY MALTBY
Business owners could face a new credit squeeze as early as next month, in what amounts to a gap period between the expiration of two popular stimulus provisions and the ramp-up of President Barack Obama’s plan to boost loans for small companies.
To be sure, the stimulus provisions – which lured hundreds of banks back [...]
Goldman, Buffett Team to Aid Small Businesses
By SUSANNE CRAIG And SCOTT PATTERSON
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said it is launching a $500 million small-business assistance program that includes an advisory panel with billionaire investor Warren Buffett.
The Wall Street firm made no connection in Tuesday’s announcement between the largest single charitable contribution in the firm’s history and public anger over its compensation. Goldman [...]
How to Protect Your Brilliant Idea
By COLLEEN DEBAISE
Adapted from the upcoming book THE WALL STREET JOURNAL COMPLETE SMALL BUSINESS GUIDEBOOK (Three Rivers Press, Dec. 29, 2009).
You want to spread the word about your business. But you also want to keep your innovative product or clever brand name safe from rivals, counterfeiters or rip-off artists.
What to do? Safeguarding your company’s intellectual [...]
CEOs Seek to Spur Jobs Through Small Business, Education
By ROGER CHENG And JON KAMP
WASHINGTON—Efforts to spur job creation need to center on getting more credit—and fast—to small and midsize businesses and improving the country’s education system, according to a group of business leaders at the annual Wall Street Journal CEO Council.
“Look through the job creation lens for every policy,” American Express Co. [...]