Press Releases

by Raymond J. Keating – A key measure of the state of the labor market is the employment-population ratio, that is, the number of employed people as a percentage of the civilian noninstitutional population. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics just released the “Regional and State Unemployment – 2022 Annual Averages” report, which includes employment-population […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest durable goods report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows new orders taking a dive in January in a stretch of wild monthly moves. Specifically, new orders for manufactured durable goods declined in two of the last three months, with the January drop registering 4.5 percent. That followed on […]

  by Raymond J. Keating – Consumer confidence is moving in the right direction, but still remains well below the historical average. That’s the message from the latest reading on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan. The Index of Consumer Sentiment registered 67.0 in February. That compared to 64.9 in January, and 62.8 a […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The latest personal income report from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis offered some hope, along with troubling reminders. First, it was noted that personal income in January grew by 0.6 percent. Normally, that would be good news. However, inflation – as measured by the PCE price index in this […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Washington, D.C. – Today, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) announced the launch of a collaborative initiative with fellow business organizations and associations whose efforts will focus on sharing knowledge, important trends and information about the use, potential, and convergence of Web3 technologies. SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan […]

Ms. Marlene Dortch Secretary Federal Communications Commission 45 L Street NE Washington, D.C.  20554   Via electronic submission RE: GN Docket No. 22-69, Implementing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Prevention and Elimination of Digital Discrimination NPRM Dear Secretary Dortch, On behalf of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council), I am pleased to […]

At the end of last year, SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan joined Shelley Hymes and her producer Claude Jennings for “Lunch with Shelley” – a podcast where guests discuss the latest happenings, issues and life over lunch. In addition to enjoying a terrific lunch at Black Salt in Washington, D.C. our “Lunch in […]

by Raymond J. Keating – The residential housing industry continued its slide in January, according to the latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau. Housing starts came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,309,000, which was down by 4.5 percent versus December, and 21.4 percent below the year earlier level. Meanwhile, housing permits, […]

by Raymond J. Keating – After a dismal close to 2022, retail and food services sales got off to a solid start in 2023, growing by 3.0 percent (on a seasonally adjusted basis) in January versus December, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest report. Compared to a year earlier, sales were up by 6.4 […]

In a February 10, Travel Pulse opinion piece, SBE Council president & CEO Karen Kerrigan expresses frustration regarding foot-dragging at the U.S. State Department, which is taking a big bite out of U.S. tourism revenue. The delays and backlogs in issuing visas for overseas tourists are unacceptable and hurting the ability of the tourism industry […]