Trade Deficit Surpasses Forecasts
Washington, DC, Aug. 11, 2010--The trade deficit grew 18.8% in June on a surge of consumer goods from China and other suppliers, the Commerce Department said.
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Decline in Home Values Slowing Down
Seattle, WA, Aug. 10, 2010--U.S. home values continued to decline in the second quarter, according to tracking firm Zillow.
Chain Store Sales Higher Than Last Year
New York, NY, Aug. 10, 2010--Chain-store sales for the week ended Aug. 7 rose 3.7% from the same time last year, according the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs.
Gallup's Economic Confidence Index Improves
Princeton, NJ, Aug. 10. 2010--Gallup's Economic Confidence Index improved slightly in early August to -29 and is now four points better than the average for all of July (-33).
Slowing Productivity May Mean More Hiring Ahead
Washington, DC, Aug. 10, 2010--Worker productivity fell this spring for the first time in more than a year.
Small Business Owners More Pessimistic on Economy
Washington, DC, Aug. 10, 2010--Small business owners grew more pessimistic in July on expectations of weaker economic growth in the second half of the year.
Fed Researchers Say Double Dip Likely in Two Years
San Francisco, CA, Aug. 10, 2010--Researchers at the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank said it's likely the U.S. economy will fall back into recession in the next two years.
Wholesale Inventories Up While Sales Decline
Washington, DC, Aug. 10, 2010--Inventories at the wholesale level edged up slightly in June but sales fell by the largest amount in 15 months.
Mohawk Creates First Sustainability Report
Calhoun, GA, Aug. 9, 2010--Mohawk Industries has created its first annual sustainability report, A Better World by Design, which is available at mohawksustainability.com.
Berkshire Hathaway Earnings Helped by Burlington
Omaha, NE, Aug. 9, 2010--Berkshire Hathaway, parent company of Shaw Industries, reported net income of $1.96 billion for the second quarter and $5.6 billion for the first six months.