Retail in Reverse with surge in Black Friday gift returns The video below talks about one terrible trend this holiday shopping season about the surprising rise in returned goods weeks before Christmas. They call it buyers remorse and retailers will call it a vile omen. Please watch below: Visit msnbc.com […]

State Tax Revenues on the Rise By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog Or so says the Rockefeller Institute who tracks state tax revenue from 48 states: “Preliminary tax collection data for the July-September quarter of 2011 show growth in overall state tax collections, as well as for personal income tax […]

Alliance board of directors endorses Eileen Brady for Mayor of Portland Portland Business Alliance The Portland Business Alliance board of directors today announced its endorsement of Eileen Brady for Mayor of Portland. “Eileen Brady will bring a fresh perspective as well as a business perspective to City Hall,” said J. […]

Tim Duy Oregon Economic Forum University of Oregon The Oregon economy firmed somewhat in October. While the Oregon Measure of Economic Activity fell to -0.95 from a revised –0.65 in October, the less-volatile three month moving average improved to -0.90 from -0.98 in October. The University of Oregon Index of […]

Quick facts on the protest: — About 100 Occupy protesters demonstrated — Over 300 longshoremen & 200 truckers were impacted — 5,000 companies are connected to shipments from the port Below it shows KATU-2 Reporter asking protesters about the impact of port workers losing their pay over the protesters.

Oregon OSHA Proposes Changes to Penalty Structure By J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries Oregon’s largests business advocate Oregon OSHA is currently discussing several proposed changes in its penalty structure. The agency intends to adopt several changes by the end of 2011 and have them take effect early in 2012, pending […]

One-Third of Nonmetro Counties Had Losses — Despite Trends, Oregon is Still a Rural State By Oregon Employment Department Over our country’s history, long-term trends have driven the bulk of the population into metro areas. Two centuries ago, 93 percent of Americans lived in rural parts of America. By 2000, […]

Poll: Online shopping at work brings increased scrutiny, new rules By Career Builders Cyber Monday broke online sales records last year, and according to CareerBuilder’s latest survey, the trend may be poised to continue. Fifty percent of American workers plan to spend time holiday shopping online at work this season […]

Video of the week By Guest Opinion, I found this CNN profile of hot holiday tech items to be a pure indulgence for those with smartphones and tablets. These mobile devices are opening a whole new world of adult tech-toy accessories. See below to see if you agree:

Value of Jobs Coalition puts spotlight on short-term, long-term trends By Portland Business Alliance PORTLAND, Ore. – Today, business and civic leaders released the latest economic study of the Portland-metro area, examining how the region compares to the U.S. average, other metro areas and, most significantly, to its expected performance. […]