Business Loan Options Blog

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The irony of the last few years is that when mortgage rates were high and housing over-valued, customers were lined up around the block to sign on the dotted line. Now, with a 3.88 percent fixed rate on a 30-year mortgage waving in the wind lenders are having trouble finding customers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Of the oddest items to actually help consumers this year, the mild winter may be the biggest boon. Severe weather patterns have caused insurance losses and financial disaster as freak snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornados have hit unexpectedly. For once, Mother Nature’s whims are causing a financial windfall for many households that do not have to pay high heating costs this winter. Read the rest of this entry »

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Too big to fail may mean too big to be left alone when it comes to governmental oversight. New government rules are being put in place to make sure that next time a financial crisis hits, it won’t be as unexpected and there will be plans in place to resolve the issue, hopefully without a taxpayer bailout. Read the rest of this entry »

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If you didn’t notice Google’s somber mood a couple of days ago, you’re not online enough. Google, along with many other Internet companies, darkened their home pages to protest two pieces of legislation that will put a chill on Internet innovation.  One bill is being pushed as a Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) while the other is the Protect IP Act (PIPA). Read the rest of this entry »

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Better late than never when it comes to business good news. For a year that felt like it was slipping backwards into another recession, the data coming from the Federal Reserve shows a reason for optimism. Major industries like the auto and travel sectors experienced significant growth at the end of 2011 and brought needed revenues to these areas. Read the rest of this entry »

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The recession has been over for a while, but people looking for a job wouldn’t know it. Unemployment remains persistently high in many states, and federal jobs programs do not appear to have done much to help. While large corporations were the first to shed numerous jobs and outsource their positions, small businesses merely laid off hoping for better times to rehire. For Americans, the hope that the job market is really recovering lies solely with small business, which is now leading the surge to reduce the unemployment rates.

December Hits a High

Small businesses job openings surged in December of 2011 to the second highest level since the recession officially started in 2007. Small businesses tend to add their workers back faster when the economy turns around than large corporations. They tend to be typical of the small neighborhood businesses that reduced their staff to keep their door opens and survive while business is bad, but are eager to hire again once demand increases. The number of jobs added in December were enough to lower the unemployment rate from 9.0 to 8.6.

Numbers Don’t Lie

Of an estimated 325,000 jobs added to the economy, only 37,000 jobs came for large employers who have over 500 workers. The rest came from small businesses that are staffing up, which is a very good sign that the recovery is well under way. Some industries are doing better than others. Government and financial services are not as lucky as other sectors of the economy. They were the first to be hit during the recession and are expected to struggle as other sectors start to come back.

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New Businesses Add Hope

In addition, the recession had the unique characteristic of having more established businesses fail faster than new ones could be created. In 2010, that trend finally reversed itself and new businesses are being started a rate that surpasses the failures that take place the same year. The new businesses come with a whole new set of skills with hiring focusing on some global skills like being multilingual or technological knowledge. Being a world travel with experience in different cultures is also something that businesses see as a positive now.

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Forget about jobs and housing as potential indicators of economic recovery; think theme park attendance. Read the rest of this entry »

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Good news is already starting to surface on the U.S. economic front, even as some indicators like housing prices continue to fall. From a consumer’s viewpoint, there is more optimism showing as businesses celebrate the first decent holiday season since the start of the recession. Consumer confidence is jumping to an eight-month high as reported by the Conference board last Tuesday. This is definitely the type of news that makes for a Happy New Year. Read the rest of this entry »

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Bad news for gold futures can mean good news for the economy. Gold prices have reached meteoric prices in the last few years as the economy took a tumble. However, recent prices now may show that trend reversing despite the chaos in Europe and some uncertainty in the market. In the last eight trading sessions, gold has taken a hit six times signaling to the upward trend that had gold bugs in a buying frenzy. Read the rest of this entry »

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November was a bad month for delinquent homeowners. A foreclosure listing put out by RealtyTrac Inc. shows that a record number of those homes are scheduled for auction since nine months ago. Unless the homeowner can find a way to become current, a new wave of foreclosures is about to hit the home sales market. A glut of foreclosed homes will have the effect of depressing prices in the areas affected, but it may eventually clear the foreclosure inventory which has been backed up since last October. Read the rest of this entry »