Sales tax collections in Mesa County continue to outpace last year, an encouraging measure of increasing retail activity. Tax collections for Mesa County and the City of Grand Junction reported in April exceed the same month last year. Collections reported through the first four months of 2012 also top the same span in 2011. The […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: The monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County has seesawed back down as a drop in the number of people counted among those unsuccessfully looking for jobs exceeded a smaller decline in payrolls. Meanwhile, labor demand as tracked by a separate measure persists at its highest level in four years, a […]
An index forecasting future economic performance in the United States has declined for the first time in seven months, a dip that reflects a recovery that’s yet to fully gain traction. The Conference Board reported that its Leading Economic Index (LEI) slipped a tenth of a percent in April to 95.5. The index continues to […]
The IRS needs money. It’s struggling to get by on about $12 billion a year, an agency official told Congress, warning that insufficient funding prevents adequate enforcement. The result is a $400 billion “tax gap” caused by some taxpayers under-reporting what they owe. Washington’s solution? Give revenuers more money. But a better use of […]
A couple of news stories caught my eye in the past week. In Chicago, the city council is looking at plans that would charge 15 to 35 cents in tax on sugary drinks. It’s estimated Chicagoans drink more than 100 million gallons of such drinks each year and consumption would generate almost $130 million in […]
Economists have a pesky way of “buting” into what are otherwise encouraging forecasts. This trend or that statistic signals growth … BUT yet another trend or a different statistic could lead to slowing. Economists have no difficulty whatsoever in viewing the glass as both half full and half empty. Perhaps it’s a sign of these […]
Is it that time again? I’ve often heard supervisors ask that very question when it’s time to conduct an employee performance review. I’ve yet to meet a manager — or an employee for that matter — who enjoys the formal performance review process. If they’re so painful, then why conduct performance reviews? Because performance appraisals […]
A monthly index tracking labor trends continues to rise, projecting moderate job growth. The Conference Board reported that its Employment Trends Index climbed to 108.04 in April, up eight-tenths of a percent from March and 7.1 percent from this time last year. “The growth in the Employment Trends Index in recent months is signaling moderate […]
A monthly measure of optimism among small business owners has increased, but still only matches a level of more than a year ago. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Index of Small Business Optimism advanced two points in April to 94.5. With the gain, the index returns to a reading posted in […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Running a fast-growing electronic recycling business has been something of a moving experience for Ken Burns and Jeffery Ferguson. By accepting nearly everything that plugs into an outlet or runs on batteries, E-Waste Recyclers of Colorado has grown as rapidly as the volume of materials the Grand Junction company handles. […]