Durable Goods Orders Jump 1.7% in July
August 26, 2004 -- Demand for durable goods posted a gain of 1.7 percent in July, the biggest jump in four months, according to a new rep... Read story
Matt Quinn
Report: Weak Tech Sector Brought Down Small Businesses
August 24, 2004 -- As technology goes, so goes small business, according to a new report from the Small Business Administration's Office ... Read story
GDP Growth Slows in Second Quarter
August 30, 2004 -- The U.S. economy expanded at a slower pace in the second quarter than originally estimated thanks mostly to a larger t... Read story
Cheap Imports Likely to Push Consumer Prices Lower
August 18, 2004 -- The Labor Department reported on Tuesday that consumer prices dipped 0.1 percent in July, which should ease some curre... Read story
Small Businesses Have Pent-Up Hiring Needs, Says Report
August 13, 2004 -- With output up, the stock market recovering and profits increasing, conditions were ripe for entrepreneurial activity ... Read story
Fed Raises Rates, Believes Economy Will Accelerate
August 11, 2004 -- The Federal Reserve raised its short-term interest rate target by a quarter-point for the second time this year on Tue... Read story
Jobless Claims Fell Last Week
August 5, 2004 -- The number of U.S. workers filing for unemployment benefits fell last week, a piece of good news just before Friday's r... Read story
U.S. Economy Added Only 32,000 Jobs in July
The lone bright spot on the report was that the unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent in July, down from 5.6 percent in June. The payroll survey and the u... Read story
U.S. Factory Orders Get Big Boost
August 5, 2004 -- In another sign that the manufacturing sector should continue to experience strong demand, new orders at U.S. factories... Read story
New Overtime Rules Take Effect In Two Weeks
August 12, 2004 -- Businesses with revenues exceeding $500,000 will face new standards when determining who must be paid overtime startin... Read story
Producer Prices Rise Slightly
August 16, 2004 -- Wholesale prices increased modestly in July, as a drop in food prices offset higher energy costs, according to a repor... Read story
SBA Issued Record Amount of Loans in 2004
August 19, 2004 -- With nearly two months left in its fiscal year, the Small Business Administration has already granted more 7(a) and 50... Read story
Self-Employed Businesses Unlikely to Hire Employees
August 20, 2004 -- It's been said that hiring the first employee c... Read story
Consumer Spending Plummets in June
August 4, 2004 -- The softening in consumer spending that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned about last month came through re... Read story
Job Growth Is Cloudy in Swing States
August 25, 2004 -- While 28 states reported employment gains in July, seven states viewed as undecided in the upcoming presidential elect... Read story
Summertime Employment Increases for Youth
August 20, 2004 -- While businesses have been reluctant to take on new full-time help, summer jobs for students have been easier to come ... Read story
Many Small Businesses Expect Big Second Half
August 10, 2004 -- While economic data has been painting a blurry picture about what actually happened in the first half of 2004 and cast... Read story
Venture Capital Fundraising Remains Stable in 2nd Quarter
August 3, 2004 -- Everyone knows that when it comes to venture capital fundraising, it's not the hand-over-fist days of 2000 anymore. But... Read story
Consumer Confidence Drops in August
September 1, 2004 -- By looking at recent economic data, it may be nearly impossible to get a grip on what's happening in the economy. An... Read story
Consumer Prices Inch Up; Inflation Fears Continue to Fade
September 17, 2004 -- Consumer prices rose only 0.1 percent in August, led by a decline in gas and car prices, according to a report rele... Read story
Report: Economy Improved Slightly for Small Businesses in 2nd Quarter
September 2, 2004 -- While the economy slowed down in the second quarter, data suggests a generally good environment for small businesses... Read story
Survey: Fast Growth Small Businesses Expect Big Tax Jump
Sept. 22, 2004 --Even as taxes are set to jump and the Internal Revenue Service is planning on auditing more midsized businesses, many hig... Read story
Jobless Claims Surge Unexpectedly
September 3, 2004 -- In an ominous sign before Friday's employment report for August, the number of workers filing first-time claims for ... Read story
Fewer Teens Dream of Running Their Own Businesses
Sept. 3, 2004 -- Entrepreneurship is unquestionably a difficult career path, a truth not lost on American teenagers, but also one that do... Read story
Women-Owned Firms Growing Quickly in Big Cities
Sept. 21, 2004 --Women-owned businesses are driving economic growth in major U.S. metropolitan areas, with revenues growing by more than 4... Read story
Workers' Compensation Costs Big Concern for Small Businesses
Sept. 23, 2004 --Thanks largely to rising health insurance costs, workers' compensation costs are a growing concern for small businesses.<... Read story
IRS Business Audits Declined Through First Half of 2004
November 4, 2004 -- Despite repeated promises from the Internal Revenue Service that it was going to crackdown on corporate tax violators... Read story
Summer Is Here, Owners Look to Get Away
More small business owners are trying to leave it all behind. Read story
