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 […]
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 […]
According to the latest Labor Department Estimates, nonfarm payrolls increased 115,000 in April. The jobless rate edged down a tenth to 8.1 percent — a three-year low, but a decline that reflected a decrease in the labor pool as discouraged job hunters gave up on their searches. The size of U.S. payroll gains have decreased […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Annette Miller continues to observe what she considers “baby steps” toward recovery in the Mesa County real estate market. But she worries property foreclosures could trip up the progress. An uptick in the latest monthly unemployment rate adds another element of uncertainty, said Miller, senior vice president at Heritage Title […]
A monthly index tracking business conditions in Colorado has lost some of the ground gained over the past two months, but continues to forecast growth. The Business Conditions Index retreated 2.5 points in April to 58.9. The loss followed two months of gains in which the index climbed nearly four points. Still, the outlook remains […]
A quarterly measure of confidence among business executives continues to rise on more upbeat expectations for economic growth. The Conference Board reported that its Measure of CEO Confidence jumped 14 points to climb to 63 for the first quarter of 2012. A reading of 50 or more reflects more positive than negative responses. “CEOs’ confidence […]
A monthly measure of consumer confidence has inched downward, but continues to reflect cautious optimism business and labor conditions are improving. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) slipped three-tenths of a point to 69.2 in April. The decline was the second in as many months for the CCI, although the losses […]
What could be a seesaw pattern of small changes in the monthly unemployment rate in Mesa County edged up in March. But even as the jobless rate climbed two-tenths to 9.5 percent, labor demand in the county as tracked by a separate measure remains at its highest level since before the recession. “Things are improving, […]