By Tim Duy, Oregon Economic Forum Index highlights: •    The University of Oregon Index of Economic Indicators rose 0.1 percent in September to 84.4 from a revised August figure of 84.3.  The behavior of the Index remains consistent with an imminent end to the recession in Oregon; note that the […]

Dr. Eric Fruits, Econinternational Blog The Oregonian reports that Oregon state officials deliberately underestimated the cost the governor’s tax credit scheme to attract  “green” companies and to encourage “green” projects.  The Business Energy Tax Credits (BETC) are huge give-aways: Enterprises that don’t pay taxes (like nonprofits and government entities) can […]

AT&T Inc. has sued Verizon Wireless for their “There’s a Map for That” ads which is a direct counter to At&T’s “There’s an App for that” commercials.  See ad here.  AT&T states that the maps used are wrong because there is still coverage in areas where “3G” service is not […]

By Martin Medeiros Partner, Swider Medeiros Haver LLP The State of Oregon needs new direction in its leadership to reverse the downward trend in income statistics that began in 1980, the last year Oregon’s per capita was equal to or above the national average.  Not only is Oregon’s trend towards […]

Yesterday, Ford announced a $997 millon profit at a time when auto companies are suffering historic losses.  The Atlantic Wire charted five major reasons for their success. – Self Sufficiency (goodwill from not taking bail-out) – Cash for Clunkers – Solid Vehicles (wooing critics and customers) – Cutting Costs–But Not […]

By Bill Conerly, Conerly Consulting LLC, Businonmics The numbers for the third quarter look nice, or what passes for nice these days.  GDP rose smartly, pretty much confirming the general view that the recession is over (more on that below). The details surprised me a bit, even though the total […]

Male unemployment nearly three points higher than female during recession Updated 11/18/2009. By Oregon Small Business Association. During a recession, everybody is affected.  Corporations, manufacturers, schools, and non-profits are all cutting their losses. College graduates fear not being able to pay off expensive student loans because they can’t find a […]

The outlook for seasonal hiring in the fourth quarter of 2009 is projected to be similar to 2008, according to a new CareerBuilder survey. Eighteen percent of hiring managers plan to hire seasonal workers to meet business needs associated with the holidays and end-of-the-year wrap-ups, on par with 17 percent […]

Oregon NFIB, Beginning midnight on Oct. 31, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur Foundation will be accepting applications for the 2010 Young Entrepreneur Awards. High school seniors with a flair for entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply online for a chance to win a scholarship valued from $1,000-$10,000. The deadline for applying for […]

The House of Representatives Releases Its Health Care Reform Bill Barran Liebman LLP Oregon Law Firm, Today, the House of Representatives released its reconciled Health Care Reform bill providing employers with half the blueprint for what their group health plans will look like in the future. The House bill is […]