Higher sales and dollar volume through the first two months of the year constitute a promising start to what Annette Miller expects will be increased real estate activity in Mesa County in 2012. Property foreclosures remain a concern, though, especially if foreclosure filings don’t trend downward, said Miller, senior vice president of Heritage Title Co. […]
A monthly measure of consumer confidence has seesawed back up on more upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) advanced more than nine points to 70.8 in January. The CCI gained a total of almost 24 points in November and December before losing nearly four […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Two months after the fact, sales tax reports confirm what many Mesa County retailers already knew: Holiday sales increased compared to the year before. The latest gains extend an upward trend in year-over-year increases in tax collections government officials say reflect slowly improving economic conditions. “Hopefully, we’re stabilizing here,” said […]
A measure of construction activity in the United States declined in the fourth quarter of 2011, but remains well ahead of last year. Associated Builders and Contractors reported that its Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) fell from 8.1 months to 7.8 months. The latest reading is 3.2 percent lower than the third quarter of 2011, but […]
A monthly index tracking conditions for small businesses in Colorado increased in January, kicking off a year in which most economic growth is expected to come from within the state. “Most of Colorado’s 2012 economic growth will be generated internally, as the overall U.S. economy will provide little boost,” said Jeff Thredgold, a corporate economist […]
Phil Castle, The Business Times: Annette Miller believes 2012 could be the year the inventory of foreclosed properties shrinks to the point real estate prices finally rebound in Mesa County. “I don’t know if 2012 is going to be the magic year, but we’ll continue to watch it closely,” said Miller, senior vice president of […]
Job growth continues to accelerate in the United States even as the jobless rate drops. According to the latest Labor Department estimates, nonfarm payrolls grew 243,000 in January as the unemployment rate edged down two-tenths to 8.3 percent. The January increase was the largest monthly gain in payrolls in nine months. The jobless rate has […]
A monthly index tracking business conditions in Colorado slipped in January, but still reflects economic growth driven in large part by the energy sector. The Business Conditions Index retreated 2.1 points, but at 57.5 continues to forecast growth. “The state’s large energy sector is pushing the state economy forward even as the construction industry weighs […]
After two months of gains to end 2011, a measure of consumer confidence begins the new year with a decline that reflects less upbeat assessments of business and labor conditions. The Conference Board reported that its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) fell nearly four points to 61.1. The index advanced a total of almost 24 points […]
A measure of refinancing activity and home sales in Mesa County dropped during the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the same quarter last year. With the decrease, the total number of deeds of trusts released in the county in 2011 dropped to a fraction of levels recorded only two or three years ago. According […]