Wednesday 18 April 2012

Business Consultant's Digest April 16th, 2012 | arc mercury

by Derek Greer

As a business consulting firm we focus on small businesses, startups and the middle class entrepreneur.? Knowing the value of time, here we share news items that we believe have the deepest impact on small business.

Top stories being reported today in the Wall Street Journal:

  • European banks are bracing for a wave of ratings downgrades in coming weeks that could intensify pressure on the fragile industry and further undercut recent efforts to defuse the Continent?s long-running financial crisis.
  • Cashing out: Improved cash flows and aging owners are driving a three-year high in?small-business acquisitions this year, Maeghan Ouimet reports in Inc.com, citing data from BizBuySell.com.
  • Global Housing Fears Spur Calls for Fixes-Four years after a deflating U.S. housing bubble sparked a global financial crisis, housing worries in the U.S. and other countries are weighing on the world economy.
  • China Loosens Grip on Yuan-China?s move to widen the yuan?s trading range is seen as an important step toward addressing complaints about its currency policies.

Wishing everyone a productive day from arc mercury business consulting!

by Derek Greer

As a business consulting firm we focus on small businesses, startups and the middle class entrepreneur.? Knowing the value of time, here we share news items that we believe have the deepest impact on small business.

Top stories being reported today in the Wall Street Journal:

  • China?s economic growth slowed in the first quarter to a lower-than-expected 8.1% as a slowdown in exports and real-estate investment complicated the nation?s efforts to guide its economy to a soft landing.
  • The Dow industrials surged 181.19 points, or 1.4%, their biggest gain in a month. Asian stock markets climbed in trading early Friday.
  • A boost in oil inventories, aided by supply increases from Saudi Arabia, is bluntingthe possibility that Iran sanctions will drive up prices.
  • New claims for unemployment insurance jumped last week, adding to concerns that the U.S. labor market may be losing momentum.
  • Industrial output in the euro zone slumped in February by the largest amount in over two years, adding to evidence the bloc is in recession.
  • Two companies submitted confidential plans for IPOs under the JOBS Act, moving quickly to capitalize on the controversial measure.

The JOBS act is something of importance for small business,?entrepreneurs?and start-ups. ?It is directed at this sector of the economy to boost its ability to grow and thrive. ?How does it plan do this? ?Well, one of the biggest pieces of legislation that it involves is access to crowd funding. ?Crowd funding is the ability of small business to take investment from individual investors without lengthy and costly regulations that before the JOBS act existed. ?Some say this is dangerous and that it leaves the door wide open for investors and small businesses to get burned, however, there is also the?argument?that this act opens the door for capital to flow to more small business and?start-ups?within communities instead of only to the big public corporations. ?As small business consultant?s we believe there is opportunity here to help spur growth in the middle class sector of the economy.

Wishing everyone a productive day from arc mercury business consulting!

by Derek Greer

As a business consulting firm we focus on small businesses, startups and the middle class entrepreneur.? Knowing the value of time, here we share news items that we believe have the deepest impact on small business.

Top stories being reported today in the Wall Street Journal:

  • U.S. stocks bounced back after a five-day slide, with the Dow climbing 89.46 points. European markets rose and bonds of the region?s troubled countries strengthened.
  • The U.S. sued Apple and five of the nation?s largest publishers, alleging collusion to raise prices on e-books and thwart Amazon.com?s discounts. Three publishers agreed to settle.
  • The Fed?s Yellen made an emphatic case for low-interest-rate policies and said additional action might be needed if the recovery falters.
  • BrightSource plans to go public this week despite a tepid market for solar companies and an uncertain outlook for renewable-energy firms.
  • The U.S. budget gap appears to be narrowing for the first time since the financial crisis, with corporate and individual income taxes rising.

It looks like interest rates will remain low as the Fed discusses more policies to keep them there. ?The Dow has turned around today up 89.46 points coming off of a 5 day decrease. ?The solar and renewable-energy market is still looking week even though BrightSource solar plans to go public. ?Solar still remains capital intensive as panels prices have yet to come down significantly and with the limited amount of investment capital companies have to work with the juice is not yet worth the squeeze. ?However, as business consultant?s it is?imperative?that we stay one step ahead. ?There are signs that solar and renewable energy have?future potential, especially as gas prices continue to rise while solar equipment and natural gas prices continue to fall. ?On another note, the US budget deficit is beginning to?stabilize?and even narrow as both corporate and individual income taxes increase. ?This is good news with a bitter after taste as we all conclude the tax year knowing that it may only get worse next year.

Wishing everyone a productive day from arc mercury business consulting!

by Derek Greer

As a business consulting firm we focus on small businesses, startups and the middle class entrepreneur.? Knowing the value of time, here we share news items that we believe have the deepest impact on small business.

Top stories being reported today in the Wall Street Journal:

  • New Europe Woes Hit Global Markets-A wave of selling rolled through financial markets on both sides of the Atlantic Tuesday, shattering a calm that has pervaded global markets for the past few months, as concerns flared anew about Europe?s troubled economies.
  • Tough Times for Franchising-Two closely watched disputes now playing out in the courts are shining a spotlight on tensions between franchise owners and management.
  • AIG to Return to U.S. Property Investing-American International Group is planning to jump back into U.S. property investing, reversing years long efforts to downsize its real-estate business in the wake of its near-collapse and government bailout in 2008.
  • Rethinking the Value of Business Majors-More than 20% of U.S. undergraduates are business majors, but now faculty members, school administrators and corporate recruiters are questioning the value of a business degree at the undergraduate level.

Is it good news to hear that AIG is returning to US property investing? ?It depends on how you interpret this, on one side the bailout did what it was supposed to do, bail them out and return them to normal. ?On the other side, it is disconcerting to hear that AIG may return to their old bad habits of over leveraging their Mortgage Backed Securities portfolio. ?Can we be confident that the SEC and the new legislation?enacted?after the 2008 meltdown will be capable of keeping these ?To Big To Fail? companies from experiencing another moral hazard? ?Only time will tell. ?In the mean time we business consultants will remain positive that the lesson was learned from companies like AIG. ?Ethics do matter and never rest on your laurels.

Wishing everyone a productive day from arc mercury business consulting!

by Derek Greer

As a business consulting firm we focus on small businesses, startups and the middle class entrepreneur.? Knowing the value of time, here we share news items that we believe have the deepest impact on small business.

Top stories being reported today in the Wall Street Journal:

  • The Dow industrials fell?for a fourth consecutive trading session and the first since Friday?s disappointing jobs report. The blue chips dropped 130.55 points, or 1%, to 12929.59. Treasury prices rose, pushing the 10-year yield down to 2.035%
  • Small-Business Owners Less Upbeat-?Small-business owners became slightly less confident in March, data released showed, as rising prices and slowing sales weighed down optimism about the economy.
  • OECD Expects Growth Pick-Up-?The world?s developed economies appear set for stronger growth in the months ahead, while China?s economy is also likely to pick up, according to the OECD.

Wishing everyone a productive day from arc mercury business consulting!

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