Press Releases

In a blog post for Tipps Insights, SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan reviews the latest SBE Council “Small Business Check Up” survey for the third quarter of 2023, and reports that small business owners are dealing with significant economic and business challenges. Kerrigan notes that external factors like diminished access to capital and […]

by Raymond J. Keating – Industrial production – i.e., the physical output, free from price changes, of the manufacturing, mining and utility sectors – grew in August by 0.4 percent, according to the latest report from the Federal Reserve. However, manufacturing production, which is the bulk of industrial production, barely edged forward at 0.1 percent. […]

The U.S. Census Bureau report that retail and food services sales increased by 0.6 percent in August would seem like good news for the state of the economy. But this gain is less than it appears. Inflation Factor First, it must be noted that this 0.6 percent increase in retail sales in August versus July […]

by Raymond J. Keating –  Inflation was back in August, reminding everyone that vigilance is vital. According to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, inflation jumped by 0.6 percent in August. Inflation had been tame in the three previous months, and in four of the last five. (See the […]

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – In response to today’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing inflation jumped by 0.6 percent in August, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) president & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement: “Relentless inflationary pressures are burying many small businesses. The […]

NEWS Squeezed by inflation, diminished profitability, and labor and capital constraints, small business owners cut spending. Also, Amazon small biz sellers express alarm about forthcoming FTC action, threatening sales and survival. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – While the majority of small business owners view current business conditions as generally positive, according to the Small […]

by Raymond J. Keating – What’s the latest take on the economy courtesy of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book? To say the least, it’s uninspiring. According to the assorted contacts that Fed staffers reach out to for each report, “economic growth was modest during July and August.” That’s underwhelming, perhaps until you realize, of course, […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The media and assorted experts are notorious for running with the topline numbers from the monthly employment report. But more often than not, the jobs report requires at least a little bit of digging. That’s definitely the case with the August employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest “Personal Income and Outlays” report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis amounted to a mixed bag. First, if one’s focus is on consumer spending, then this was a good news report. Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) grew robustly for the second straight month. After growing by 0.4 percent […]

NEWS The Federal Regulatory Blitz Harming Startups and Small Business Must End For Immediate Release Washington, D.C. – With federal regulatory activity proceeding at a crushing pace under President Biden, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) is relieved that various members of Congress are stepping up to provide common-sense solutions to bring real-world […]