Economic Development

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Central Iowa Works Funding Collaborative awarded $600,000 grant

Central Iowa Works Funding Collaborative was one of five organizations to receive a grant from the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. The group gave out $2.1 million in grants to five communities to help bolster …

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Reports show employment up, but so are layoffs

 

U.S. private-sector employers added more jobs than expected in September, but another report Wednesday showed a jump in planned layoffs in the month, Reuters reported. Private payrolls rose by 91,000 according to payroll processor …

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Fed gives Congress grim outlook on economy

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said today that the Fed has lowered its expectations for economic growth and called on Congress to address budget deficits and economic troubles, The Washington Post reported.
 
Testifying before …

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U.S. trade with neighbors increases 18 percent since last year

U.S. trade with Canada and Mexico jumped to $72.4 billion in July, an 18.1 percent increase from last year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Canada is the United States’ …

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Agriculture a bright spot in the state’s economy

A report on the state of the Iowa economy in August is the second of the day to detect overall sluggishness.

With the exception of positive news on agriculture and building permits, the Iowa Leading …

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Upbeat factory report catches economists by surprise

Factory hiring and production increased in September, the Institute for Supply Management said today. Other data released today also showed strong demand for motor vehicles, with sales on track to surpass August’s rate. Construction spending …

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Midwest economic diagnosis: anemia, no recession

A business index that measures economic activity in the Midwest posted an increase for just the second time in the last six months, according to Creighton University’s Economic Forecasting Group.

The index increased to 52.2 …

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Poll: Three-quarters say European recession likely

Global investors anticipate Europe’s debt crisis leading to an economic slump, a financial meltdown and social unrest in the next year, with 72 percent predicting a country abandoning the euro as a shared currency within …

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Mortgage portfolio quality down

The performance of first-lien mortgages serviced by large national banks and federal savings associations declined slightly during the second quarter of 2011, according to a report released Sept. 29 by the Office of the Comptroller …

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Hiring survey reveals employers’ optimism down

Iowa employers are less optimistic than they were just three months ago, according to the Hamilton Hiring Survey released today.

The survey looks at employer confidence and hiring intentions for the upcoming quarter – October …