by Ralph Cole, CFA Executive Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm The Week in Review February 10, 2017 – It was another solid week in the markets. The S&P 500 was up almost 1 percent to record highs. Interest rates were relatively quiet with the […]

National Retail Federation, The National Retail Federation released its economic forecast for 2017, projecting that retail industry sales, which exclude automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, will grow between 3.7 and 4.2 percent over 2016. Online and other non-store/online sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase […]

Nearly One in Four Workers in Oregon is 55 or Older By Oregon Employment Department, Oregon’s workforce is aging. The number of Oregon jobs held by workers age 55 and over tripled from 1992 to 2015, while the total number of jobs grew by just 42 percent. Workers 55 and […]

Look Both Ways Before You Tax By Anthony K. Smith As of February 1, the Oregon Legislative Assembly is back in session. Among the most talked about issues for the Legislature to tackle will be the 2017-2019 state budget and funding a major transportation package. At the heart of both […]

Oregon Congressman Kurt Schrader, Press Release, Congressman Kurt Schrader (OR-5) released the following statement on the President’s Executive Order to Reduce Regulation and Control Regulatory Costs: “For years I’ve heard from schools, teachers, small business owners, farmers, workers and taxpayers in my district that there are too many rules and […]

 by Jason Norris, CFA Executive Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman, A leading Oregon financial firm The Week That Was It was an active week on the political, economic and Fed front, but markets were generally quiet. The S&P 500 finished mildly positive, while the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield remained […]

U.S. Chamber of Commerce The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness (CCMC) released Essential Information: Modernizing Our Corporate Disclosure System, a white paper exploring the future of corporate disclosures and why materiality is, and should remain, the guiding principle for public company disclosure.

By Oregon Dept. of Justice, Joint Statement Issued By A.G.’s Of NY, CA, PA, WA, MA, HI, VA, OR, DC, CT, VT, IL, NM, IA, ME & MD “As the chief legal officers for over 130 million Americans and foreign residents of our states, we condemn President Trump’s unconstitutional, un-American […]

Bullard Law, Portland law firm The National Labor Relations Board recently pursued an outcome that was unfair to business.  (“I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!”)  Fortunately, the First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the NLRB’s arguments. This is really a simple case.  People recognize […]

BOLI Makes Critical Change to Interpretation of Manufacturing Overtime Law By Ryan Orr, JD, HR and Compliance Consultant Cascade Employers Association In Oregon, mills, factories, and manufacturing employers must calculate weekly overtime for employees working more than 40 hours per week, as well as daily overtime for employees working more […]