With the housing recovery gaining steam, Americans have more incentives to paint up, touch up and otherwise redecorate their homes. But there’s no need to spend willy-nilly.
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in December because exports rose while oil imports plummeted. The smaller trade gap means the economy almost surely grew in the October-December quarter — an improvement from the government's estimate last week that it shrank in the final months of 2012.
Alaska has long been at the forefront of global fisheries, benefiting from the rich waters of the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. The Alaska fishing fleet is one of the largest in the world, with state of the art modern vessels that can operate in any weather condition. The capital investment required to support this fleet is tremendous, and it has been supported through the privatization of fishing rights.
What does it really take for a small business owner to get a loan from a bank today? It’s one of the top questions our bankers hear – and I would like to share our answer to this question.
Nationally recognized speaker, consultant and executive coach Cindy Solomon knows a thing or two about courage. In fact, Solomon regularly works with companies to create a culture of courage that drives innovation in this post-recession business economy. That’s why she was surprised to find herself full of fear on the Demon Drop, a thrill ride in the Midwest that suspends riders and asks them to drop themselves from 153 feet.
Despite federal agencies taking steps to tweak and adopt the qualified mortgage and ability-to-repay rules set to go into effect in January 2014, private industry officials are nervous about the impact they will have.
The prospect of continued stimulus from the Federal Reserve and rising optimism among small business owners helped push stock prices back to record levels.
