By Brad Houle, CFA Ferguson Wellman, Oregon Capital Management firm As we expected at the beginning of the year, S&P 500 valuations have contracted year-to-date. Typically during an economic expansion, we see stocks move higher with earnings. Investors are willing to pay more for those earnings with the assumption that […]

Oregon State Chamber of Commerce, Press Release, The Oregon State Chamber of Commerce (OSCC), representing Oregon’s small businesses, nonprofits, community organizations and citizens strongly urges a “YES” vote on Measure 104. OSCC members believe that a healthy business climate and the jobs that such a business climate creates, is the […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, One of the biggest business measures on the ballot is a business tax measure in Portland and it is almost overlooked and overshadowed by the other ballot measures and Governor’s race. Both the State’s largest newspaper Editorial Board and the City’s big weekly newspaper the […]

By Oregon Employment Department, Nine out of 10 private-sector firms in Oregon had fewer than 20 employees in March 2018. Six out of 10 employed fewer than five. Despite their quantity, smaller firms collectively account for a much smaller share of overall employment than their larger counterparts. For example, the […]

By Oregon Small Business Association, The Bend Bulletin recently discovered that people buying gas and diesel at the pumps in Oregon have paid more than $17 million extra since 2016 to subsidize companies that produce low-carbon fuels. But the state Department of Environmental Quality has refused to release the names […]

By David Rice Miller, Nash, Graham and Dunn, NW Law firm, California has enacted the nation’s first law regulating Internet of Things (IoT) devices, which was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on September 28, 2018. IoT refers to the rapidly-expanding world of internet-connected objects such as home security systems, video […]

US Senator Ron Wyden Press Release, “Canada has recognized what Oregonians already understand: cannabis prohibition is a failed policy that wastes resources and destroys lives. Here in the United States, more and more states are following the lead of Oregonians and legalizing cannabis. Americans across the country, and across party […]

By Brad Houle, CFA Ferguson Wellman, Oregon Capital Management firm On Wednesday this week the S&P 500 plunged by 3 percent on cumulative fears of slowing economic and earnings growth as well as concerns of a slowdown in China and the Federal Reserve being too aggressive in increasing short-term interest […]

National Retail Federation, Almost all U.S. consumers are value-conscious shoppers who regularly visit discount retailers to find a bargain, according to the latest issue of the quarterly Consumer View report released by the National Retail Federation. “Looking for the best price is a habit that cuts across almost every demographic,” […]

By Josh Lehner Oregon Office of Economic Analysis Three years ago our office asked “Is 2015 Peak Renter?” We laid out a straightforward case examining the three main underlying drivers for the shift into rentership over the previous decade: household finances, demographics, and preferences and tastes. The question was not […]