Recently added articles from Kiplinger Business Forecasts:
Senate Democrats Eye Magic Number of 60.
Jul 01, 2008 ... Byline: Jon Frandsen What once seemed ludicrous to consider is now distinctly possible: Democrats could win a 60-seat, filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. That would give them enough votes to exercise real control over the chamber, significantly reducing the ability of the ...
The U.S.' Untapped Oil Bounty.
Jun 30, 2008 ... Byline: Jim Ostroff Think the U.S. is running out of oil? Think again. What is running low, given soaring demand for energy worldwide, is oil in fields that have already been tapped and are in production -- in other words, the relatively easy-to-get stuff, which oil companies ...
Amtrak in Line for a Big Funding Boost.
Jun 27, 2008 ... Byline: Martha Lynn Craver Congress is close to passing an Amtrak bill that will give the beleaguered passenger carrier a much needed financial lift. The House recently passed the legislation that provides nearly $15 billion over a five-year period to rebuild Amtrak. The move ...
Plug-in Hybrid Cars Zooming Ahead.
Jun 26, 2008 ... Byline: Jim Ostroff Get ready to see the USA in your plug-in Chevrolet -- or your Saturn, Ford, Toyota or Mercedes. High gasoline prices have automakers fast-tracking development of fuel sipping vehicles that will allow most motorists to charge up at night from home, then ...
European Economies Mirror U.S. Woes.
Jun 25, 2008; ... Byline: Andrew C. Schneider, Mark Sfiligoj Europe is following in America's footsteps down a trail of economic woes: Sluggish growth, rising inflation and unemployment. Given the close relationship, that makes sense: The U.S. captures more European Union (EU) investment than any ...
Fed Standing Pat for Now.
Jun 25, 2008 ... Byline: Jerome Idaszak The Federal Reserve's decision today to neither cut interest rates nor raise them acknowledges the twin dangers of inflation and slow economic growth. We expect the Fed to keep its foot poised between the brake and the accelerator until it has a clearer ...
No More Big Defense Spending Hikes.
Jun 24, 2008 ... Byline: Richard Sammon The U.S. defense budget will remain huge -- the largest part of the federal discretionary budget under either a John McCain or Barack Obama administration with some $500 billion in each of the next several years for manpower, equipment, installations, ...
Economy Proves Central in McCain-Obama Duel.(Barack Obama and John McCain)
Jun 23, 2008; ... Byline: Richard Sammon The economy far outranks all other issues on the campaign trail, a fact born out in poll after poll -- in big states and small states -- and it will remain front and center this fall. It's no wonder, then, that it's already dominating the ...
Small Business Set-Aside Reform More Likely.
Jun 20, 2008 ... Byline: Tosin Mfon Pressure to fix the small business set-aside program is mounting. Half the federal contracts designated for small businesses in 2005 and 2006, about $100 billion a year, went to big firms, including multinational corporations. That's according to documents the ...
Flood-Spawned Shipping Woes to Linger for Weeks.
Jun 20, 2008 ... Byline: Ed Maixner Businesses can expect shipping delays for weeks to come as flooding -- and more wet weather -- hinder rail, truck and barge operations in the Midwest. Uncle Sam is riding to the rescue with an initial $2.65-billion emergency aid package for flood ...
California Same-Sex Marriages May Affect Employers Elsewhere.
Jun 19, 2008 ... Byline: Martha Lynn Craver California's legalization of same-sex marriage will have implications far beyond the borders of that state. Unlike Massachusetts, the only other state that allows same-sex marriage, California has no residency requirement for folks who marry there ....
Declining Oil Prices Will Buoy the Economy.
Jun 18, 2008 ... Byline: Jerome Idaszak Our view of the economy isn't as gloomy as that of many others, who see the situation continuing to worsen, based largely on the belief that oil prices will stay high. We, on the other hand, expect oil prices to decline by the end of the year, helping to ...
Nonprofits' Tax Exemptions Increasingly Under Fire.
Jun 17, 2008 ... Byline: Peter Blank, Joan Pryde Tax breaks for nonprofit groups are facing heightened scrutiny from all levels of government because of concerns that some exempt organizations are primarily moneymaking operations that don't live up to the purposes for which they received their ...
State Finances: Budget Pressures Will Crimp Spending.
Jun 16, 2008 ... Byline: Richard Sammon Many states are about to go into belt-tightening mode, cutting spending and searching for new revenue to deal with a bleak budget outlook that's likely to last two to three years. Half the states are grappling with shortfalls, and most of the remaining ...
Surge in May Jobless Rate Underscores Weak Economy.
Jun 06, 2008 ... Byline: Jerome Idaszak A big jump in the jobless rate in May to 5.5% confirms a weak economy. The rate is the highest since October 2004, leaping from 5% the previous month and suggests sluggish economic growth -- at best -- the next several months. The economy also ...
Catching On: A New Way to Pay for Worker Training.
Jun 06, 2008 ... Byline: Jonathan Crawford Employers are increasingly offering to set up education savings plans and match workers' contributions. These programs offer employers a new way to help finance an employee's classes or training to upgrade skills without bearing the entire cost, ...
Revised Green Guides Will Be More Stringent.
Jun 05, 2008; ... Byline: Andrew C. Schneider The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will crack down on "greenwashing," the use of exaggerated, misleading or outright false marketing to suggest that a product is more environmentally friendly than it is. The end result will be higher compliance costs ...
Coming Soon: Stepped-Up Tax Audits of Small Firms.
Jun 04, 2008 ... Byline: Joan Pryde Small business owners should brace for more audits by the Internal Revenue Service on several fronts. It has been no secret that the IRS is conducting more examinations of small businesses because it thinks they are a big reason for the tax gap -- the ...
For Barack Obama, A New Chapter and New Challenges.
Jun 04, 2008 ... Byline: Richard Sammon The presidential campaign landscape shifted unalterably and historically last night, as Illinois Sen. Barack Obama claimed the Democratic nomination after the longest and closest primary battle in U.S. history. But with New York Sen. Hillary Clinton ...
Drought's Impact on Businesses Gaining Scrutiny.
Jun 03, 2008 ... Byline: Jim Ostroff Droughts plaguing many parts of the U.S. are nabbing the attention of lenders and investors. They are zeroing in on businesses' exposure to water supply risks and how they might affect customer service and costs. Power plants, food processors, mining ...