Market Digest

Companies With and Without Stimulus Projects Hiring at Same Rate, In Part Because of “Disappointingly” Slow Distribution on Non-Transportation Stimulus Construction Dollars The stimulus plan appears to be having little influence on construction companies’ ability to expand payrolls to date according to a new industry analysis of the impact of the federal program’s construction spending [...]

Fine Print Contains Hidden Penalties, Taxpayer Costs The billionaire chairman of Los Angeles-based Mercury Insurance Company is sponsoring a ballot measure that would legalize surcharges of hundreds of dollars for automobile insurance, penalize good drivers for accidents that are not their fault, and lead to more uninsured motorists. Under the proposal, aimed at the June [...]

Easing in Rate of Decline in Germany Contrasts with Steeper Downturns in France and Italy. The Bloomberg Euro-Zone Retail Purchasing Managers’ Index (“PMI “), based on a mid-month survey of more than 1,000 executives in the euro area retail sector that provides data one month ahead of government-issued figures, fell from 47.5 in June to [...]

Nearly half continue to shop around for better savings options Consumers are cutting back on expenses and shopping around for the best places to save money, according to survey results released by Ally Bank. The survey showed a significant number (77 percent) of consumers have sacrificed discretionary purchases, including vacations, cars, clothing, dining out and [...]