Business Trends

by Raymond J. Keating – Within the vast U.S. economy, there are usually considerable differences in economic performance from state to state, and locality to locality. This is illustrated in the latest data on metropolitan area employment supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As the recovery from the pandemic economy continues unevenly nationally, […]

by Raymond J. Keating – U.S. small businesses continue to be confronted by challenges in this pandemic economy, including when it comes to hiring and supply chain issues, according to the latest Small Business Pulse survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The survey asked (with data collected from December 20-26, 2021) about difficulties in […]

By Barbara Weltman –  A partnership is not taxpaying entity, but files an annual tax return, Form 1065, to report income, deductions, and other items. These items pass through to partners, who may be individuals, other partnerships, corporations, or other entities. Partners report their allocable share of these items on their own tax returns. Tax […]

SMALL BUSINESS INSIDER   by Raymond J. Keating – A growing population is a positive in so many different ways, including on the economy front with more entrepreneurs, producers, workers and consumers, along with increased dynamism and innovation. A growing population generally goes hand in hand with a growing economy. Unfortunately, the news from the […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  The latest state employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics offers various looks at jobs data by state. But the key numbers from this report serve as a sobering reminder of how deeply damaged the U.S. economy has been due to this pandemic. Specifically, only three states had […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The industrial sector of the U.S. economy grew for the second straight month in November, according to the latest industrial production report from the Federal Reserve. Industrial production is the actual output of the manufacturing, mining and utility sectors of our economy, without distortions due to prices. Industrial production had […]

by Raymond J. Keating – According to the latest “Monthly New Residential Construction” report from the U.S. Census Bureau, housing experienced gains in November. That, of course, is good news for the small businesses that overwhelmingly populate the housing industry: 97.4 percent of employer firms in the residential building construction sector having fewer than 20 […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The U.S. Census Bureau reported on December 15 that retail sales in November increased. But what does that mean with inflation raging? Good question. The Census Bureau estimated that retail and food services sales in November grew by 0.3 percent. That came after a revised 1.8 percent jump in October. […]

SMALL BUSINESS INSIDER UPDATED By Karen Kerrigan – In order for businesses to fully heal from the pandemic, the entrepreneurs who run America’s firms certainly do not need to be blindsided by new surprises or government actions that will harm their recovery and growth. Already, small businesses are facing record-level inflation, supply chain challenges, labor […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics brought more bad news on inflation. CPI inflation raged at 0.8 percent in November, and that came after a 0.9 percent jump in October. For the past 12 months, inflation registered 6.8 percent. (See the following […]