Archive for December 2009
Unemployment claims fall to 17-month low
Despite analysts’ predictions, first-time filings for unemployment insurance fell last week to the lowest level in 17 months, CNNMoney.com reported.
The Labor Department today said that for the week ended Dec. 26 there were 432,000 …
Mortgage rates on the rise
Mortgage rates in the United States rose this week for the fourth consecutive week, Reuters reported.
According to a recent survey released by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company, interest rates on 30-year …
Ticker: Dec. 31
Johnston-based ALL Fuels & Energy Co. said in a press release today that its subsidiary, ALL Fuels – Jefferson LLC has obtained a stay preventing Valero Renewable Energy Co. from closing its proposed purchase of …
Read MoreU.S. manufacturing moves to recovery mode, economist says
Companies expanded more than anticipated in December as orders and employment grew, Bloomberg reported today, based on the results of a survey of businesses.
The Institute for Supply Management-Chicago Inc. said its business barometer rose …
Ticker: Dec. 30
A squabble between banks involved in a former Regency development will head back to Polk County District Court as the result of a ruling today by the Iowa Court of Appeals. Regions Bank filed a …
Read MoreHubbell ready to unload historic Rollins Mansion
Hubbell Realty Co.’s purchase last month of the Rollins Mansion at 2801 Fleur Drive was the last piece of a larger deal in 2007 to acquire 10 apartment complexes from Clarke Cos.
The West Des …
Fears and hopes collide
Commercial real estate executives are ready to leave 2009 behind and are looking to the new year with a mix of fear and optimism, CoStar Group reported.
Declining values and incomes, mounting and maturing debt, …
Ticker: Dec. 29
Subway, which opened more than 1,800 new locations in 2009, has again been named the top franchise in the annual Franchise 500 list. The brand’s owner, Doctor’s Associates Inc., operates more than 32,000 restaurants worldwide; …
Read MoreCareerBuilder poll shows uptick in hiring plans
One-fifth of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees next year, up from 14 percent in 2009, according to CareerBuilder.com, an online jobs site that surveyed more than 2,700 hiring managers and human resource professionals, …
Read MoreGM paying dealers to move discontinued brands
General Motors Co. is offering its dealers hefty incentives to move thousands of leftover vehicles from its discontinued Saturn and Pontiac brands. The unusual tactic could inflate the carmaker’s December sales and cut the cost …
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