A measure of optimism among small business owners has declined even as concerns over labor and inventory shortages mount heading into the holiday shopping season. The National Federation of Independent Business reported it’s Small Business Optimism Index decreased nine-tenths of a point to 98.2 in October. “Small business owners are attempting to take advantage of […]
A measure of consumer confidence has rebounded on more upbeat expectations for business and labor conditions as well as plans to make big purchases and take vacations. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index rose four points to 113.8 in October. The gain reversed a three-month decline. Components of the index tracking assessments of […]
A key measure of sales activity in Grand Junction continues to increase on a year-over-year basis by double-digit proportions. The city reported collecting more than $4.9 million in sales taxes in August. That was an increase of nearly $715,000 and 17 percent over the same month last year. The city received almost $900,000 as its […]
A measure of consumer confidence continues to decline as concerns mount over the COVID-19 pandemic as well as business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index fell 5.9 points to 109.3 in September. Components of the index tracking assessments of current conditions, as well as short-term outlooks, retreated. With declines in […]
An index forecasting economic conditions in the United States continues to increase, signaling growth for the remainder of the year. The Conference Board Leading Economic Index rose nine-tenths of a percent to 117.1 in August. Separate measures of current and past performance also increased. Ataman Ozyildirim, senior director of economic research at the Conference Board, […]
A measure of consumer sentiment has dropped to its lowest level in six months on less upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported its Consumer Confidence Index fell 11.3 points to 113.8 in August. That’s the lowest point since the index stood at 95.2 in February. “Concerns about the Delta variant […]
U.S. payrolls continue to grow even as the unemployment rate drops. Nonfarm payrolls increased 235,000 and the jobless rate decreased two-tenths of a point to 5.2 percent in August, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Still, the latest payroll increase was less than half the average monthly gain of […]
A measure of optimism among small business owners has increased, but so have concerns over labor and supply chain issues. “As the economy moves into the fourth quarter, small business owners are losing confidence in the strength of future business conditions,” said Bill Dunkelberg, chief economist of the National Federation of Independent Business. “The biggest […]
A measure of optimism among small business owners has retreated on less upbeat expectations for the economy, sales and earnings as well as concerns about labor availability. The National Federation of Independent Business reported its Small Business Optimism Index fell 2.8 points to 99.7 in July. The decrease nearly erased a 2.9-point increase in June, […]
Tax collections, a measure of sales activity, continue to increase in Mesa County. Mesa County reported collecting more than $4 million in sales tax in July, a 20.4 percent increase over the same month last year. The county also collected nearly $401,000 in use taxes — almost all of it on automobiles purchased outside the […]