Archive for June 2009

Following an eight-month decline, construction material prices edged up 0.5 percent in May, according to a June 16 producer price index report by the U.S. Labor Department. However, prices are still down 5.3 percent from …

An Oskaloosa-based bank improperly interfered in efforts to buy the assets of Schaffer Bridal & Formal, a deal that would have placed the two oldest names in Greater Des Moines formal wear on the same …

Sales of existing homes rose in May, as increasingly affordable home prices and a first-time tax credit for first-time home purchasers attracted hesitant buyers, CNNMoney.com reported.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that sales …

Some downtown streets will close at various times Wednesday for the Des Moines Arts Festival. Here is a schedule of closings: at 9 a.m., Locust Street from 10th to 16th streets and two lanes on …

Iowa will receive $16 million in economic stimulus funding for energy efficiency programs plus more funds for weatherization programs, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this morning in Des Moines.

Chu made the …

A quarter of U.S. employers have eliminated matching contributions to employee 401(k) retirement plans since September to save money amid the economy’s downturn, according to research released today and reported by Reuters.

A quarter of …

JPMorgan Chase & Co. expects to record a $1.1 billion charge in its second-quarter results after returning $25 billion in taxpayer funds to the U.S. government, Reuters reported. The charge, relating to the early repayment …