Consumer confidence down, retail spending up

How good is the economy? Sometimes it’s hard to tell.

Consumer confidence is down, according to New York-based research firm Conference Board Inc., whose Consumer Confidence Index dropped from 54.3 in November to 52.5 in …

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Iowa wind projects to install 258 turbines

MidAmerican Energy Co. wind projects in Iowa combined for the largest onshore wind turbine order to date for Siemens Energy Inc.

MidAmerican will receive 258 Siemens 2.3-megawatt wind turbines which will be installed in Cass, …

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Captrust enters partnership with Holmes Murphy

Raleigh, N.C.-based Captrust Financial Advisors announced yesterday that it will open an office in Des Moines through a partnership with Holmes Murphy and Associates Inc.

Captrust, an independent retirement plan advisory firm, will acquire a …

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Pioneer acquires two seed companies

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and & Co. announced yesterday that it has acquired Seed Consultants Inc. in Ohio and Terral Seed Co. in Louisiana as part of its Pioneer Hi-Bred PROaccess business strategy.

Pioneer …

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Homeless shelter receives grant for equipment

Des Moines Interfaith Hospitality Network announced yesterday that it has received a $3,289 grant from Give Back Des Moines.

The grant funds were raised through Give Back Des Moines’ 2010 community campaign and will be …

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Hyatt opens in downtown

The Hyatt Place Des Moines/Downtown hotel is officially open for business.

Hyatt Hotels and Resorts opened the hotel, located in the Liberty Building at 416 Sixth Ave., on Dec. 23.

The 93-room hotel is the …

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Big banks face pay scrutiny

Banks may be forced to tie risk-taking and lending practices to executive pay if new rules are adopted by international regulators, TheStreet.com reported.

The rules, proposed today by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, could …

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REIT buys Park Place

A California real estate investment trust said today that it has bought the 147 rental units at Park Place Apartments, 615 Park St., in downtown Des Moines. The 16-story structure was built in 1986, and …

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Google calling

Google Inc., which helped popularize the idea of automated advertising sales on the Internet, has been quietly turning to an old-fashioned tool — phone calls — to compete in the hot market for local business …

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