Business Trends

By Rieva Lesonsky – Despite the prevailing economic uncertainty, new business formation continues to grow rapidly. According to a recent report from the Bank of America Institute, “new business formation is often viewed as a barometer of economic dynamism.” I saw this firsthand in the 1990s, when the “entrepreneurial revolution” began, forged by entrepreneurs offering new […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The U.S. services sector experienced the 24th straight month of expansion in June, according to the latest read of the Institute of Supply Management’s Services PMI index. The ISM services PMI registered 54 percent, down slightly from May’s 54.5 percent. Two years of services being in expansion mode obviously is […]

by Raymond J. Keating – No matter how various talking heads try to explain away the June employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there’s no way getting around that this was an unabashedly negative jobs report. First, the headline from the establishment survey estimated that the nonfarm payroll employment number changed little, […]

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts and its many provisions that have supported the growth, competitiveness, and profitability of America’s small businesses: “As we mark the one-year anniversary of the Working Families […]

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the enactment of the Working Families Tax Cuts and its many provisions that have supported the growth, competitiveness, and profitability of America’s small businesses: “The Working Families Tax Cuts permanently strengthened the foundation for […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest business applications numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau offered a mixed story for May, with the overall trend, however, remaining healthy. Total business applications in May increased by 3.7 percent to 523,971 (seasonally adjusted). At the same time, high-propensity business applications declined slightly – by 0.3 percent to […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Inflation continued to run hot in May, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. CPI increased by 0.5 percent in May (on a seasonally adjusted basis). As noted in the following chart from the report, this came after an increase of 0.6 […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was welcome in that it both beat market expectations, and it showed key major employment indicators moving in the right direction in May. Some concerns persist as well. First, nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May. This marked […]

  by Raymond J. Keating – Tax relief has been on a roll in Arkansas, and it’s continuing. That’s good news for entrepreneurs, small businesses and investors. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) called a special session to continue with the state’s ongoing income tax cuts. In a piece published two years ago, I explained positive […]

by Raymond J. Keating – According to The Conference Board, consumer confidence edged down in May. But looking at the overall data in this report, one sees that consumers are warily positive, with real concerns as to where the economy might be headed six months or so down the road. Specifically, the Conference Board’s Consumer […]