Kelly Sloan, The Business Times Dramatic increases in energy production have resulted in more jobs and government revenues while lowering prices. But even with vast reserves of oil, natural gas and coal in the United States, government regulations at all levels could threaten that production. “There is a good chance we could still screw this […]
National forecasts for holiday sales depend on who’s making the forecasts. Here’s a look at the major projections: The National Retail Federation projects retail sales during November and December in the United States will total more than $602 billion, a 3.9 percent increase over those two months last year. The latest forecast exceeds the 3.3 […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Shauna Cozzens starts decorating for the holidays early, setting up elaborate displays that include not only Christmas trees and ornaments, but also elves and snowmen as well as reindeer and wreaths. A nearby sign offers hope to those who haven’t necessarily been good for goodness sake: Naughty is the new […]
Lodging tax collections, a measure of hotel and motel stays, continue to decline in Grand Junction. According to a Grand Junction Visitor & Convention Bureau report for October, $133,556 in lodging taxes were collected. That’s $3,552, or nearly 2.6 percent, less than what was reported for the same month last year. Since lodging tax reports […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Sales tax collections have rebounded in Mesa County with the largest year-over-year gains so far in 2013. While the latest monthly tax reports offer some encouragement of more sales for retailers and more revenues for governments, it remains to be seen whether total sales tax collections for 2013 will match […]
A monthly index tracking optimism among small business owners has dropped on less upbeat expectations for improving conditions and hiring. The National Federation of Independent Business reported that its Small Business Optimism Index dropped more than two points in October to 91.6. The latest reading is more than eight points below the pre-recession average for […]
The pace of job growth in the United States has picked up, contradicting expectations in the aftermath of a federal government shutdown. Nonfarm payrolls grew 204,000 in October, according to the latest statistical snapshot from the Labor Department. Moreover, initial estimates for job gains in September and August were revised upward a combined 60,000 to […]
While an index forecasting economic performance in the United States continues to rise, the full effects of a federal government shutdown remain unknown. The Conference Board reported that its Leading Economic Index (LEI) advanced another seven-tenths of a percent to 97.1 in September. Separate measures of current and past economic performance also increased. The latest […]
Battery technology developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder that could enable electric vehicles to travel twice as far on a charge has moved closer to becoming a commercial reality. The Technology Transfer Office at CU has completed an agreement with Solid Power — a spinoff company founded by Se-Hee Lee and Conrad Stoldt, […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times Piper Foster believes a national renewable energy standard would do for the United States what a state standard has done for Colorado in promoting capital investments and job creation. “I’m absolutely making the case economically,” said Foster, president of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association board of directors. U.S. Sen. […]