By Nike Kern, As 39 states across the country vie for Hollywood’s production money, here at home the Governor’s Office of Film and Television is doing its part. At stake is a significant slice of the mega-million dollar film production industry, not to mention the potential tourism dollars that may […]

[Moore Information systems Inc.] Obama/Biden Narrowly Lead Presidential Race in Oregon. Our recent survey of Oregon voters shows Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin within six points of Barack Obama and Joe Biden (43% Obama/Biden, 37% McCain/Palin). Another 14% have not made a decision as of today, and 6% of […]

By Mark Neil, Radio Host of Your Money & Your Life, Mondays 4-5PM, KBNP AM 1410 Yesterday was a very bad day in the markets.  A stunning chain of events over the weekend sent the S&P 500 index to its steepest one-day percentage drop since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.  […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting Calculated Risk has a good post about home prices, looking at prices from several different angles.  All angles suggest that prices have a ways further to go before reaching “normal.”  Of course, there’s no reason to expect any time series to get back to […]

Five questions to test your news observance level. Which nation conducted the atom-smasher experiment this week? A) Germany B) England C) Switzerland

Latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Survey: Confidence drops in July; lowest reported score in five years [Wells Fargo Press Release San Francisco — September 9, 2008]  Reflecting signs of a weaker economy and rising costs, small business owners’ optimism continues to decline. According to the recent Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, surveyed […]

By Mike Scoggin, A Portland City Auditor’s report finds that while the city’s Department of Transportation has improved quality assurance, it is resurfacing fewer streets Taken for granted, most people would be surprised to find out that 25% of the Rose City’s total assets are its roads. Valued at $5.4 […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting, I spoke a couple of months ago about the economic contingency planning process.  You can listen here. Key steps: 1. Evaluate your company’s own vulnerability to changes in the economy. 2. Develop an early warning system specific to your business. 3. Sketch out a […]

1. What economic indicator is heading for the first sustained decline in nearly two decades? A) Personal Income B) Consumer Spending C) Export

Below are excerpts from the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, Sept. 2008, Oregon Economic Forecast. from Oregon Economic and Oregon Department of Administrative Services, Office of Economic Analysis.  Full report here. The second quarter of 2008 would have been the 20th consecutive quarter of rising employment in the state. This five-year pace was […]