Posts tagged index
Woot World Trade Center 1 tops 100 floor and rising
Apr 11th
The rebuilding effort in Downtown Manhattan reached new heights this week as construction crews laid steel beams for the 100th floor of One World Trade Center.
The total number of floors include the tower’s reinforced base.
The milestone leaves the skyscraper just four feet short of becoming the tallest building in the city.
Publisher Conde Nast has signed an agreement to move their offices into the tower.
The skyscraper will stand 104 stories when it opens next year and its total height, including the spire, will be 1,776 feet.
from ny1
http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html
COLORADO BUSINESS LEADERS’ CONFIDENCE WANES SLIGHTLY, SAYS CU LEEDS SCHOOL INDEX
Jul 1st
For the third quarter of 2011, the LBCI posted a reading of 51.6, down from 56.8 in the second quarter. Confidence waned across all indices, although most remained above the neutral mark of 50.
Expectations for the national economy were once again especially bleak, falling back below neutral after two consecutive quarters of optimism, according to Leeds School economist and Business Research Division Executive Director Richard Wobbekind, who conducts the quarterly survey.
“The overall economy has been damaged by uncertainty — the uncertainty of consumers about the strength of the recovery and the strength of the job market and the uncertainty of businesses about demand for their products — and I think that uncertainty has worked its way into our index and other national indexes,” Wobbekind said.
An index reading of 50 is neutral. A reading greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while an index lower than 50 indicates negative expectations, according to Leeds School researcher Brian Lewandowski, who compiles the survey results for the index.
“I think our business leaders want to see some of their concerns such as the international debt issues, higher oil prices and other uncertainties get worked out, and fortunately right now some of these things are getting worked out,” Wobbekind said. “They’re backpedaling a little bit and they’re not quite as confident, but overall they have a decent level of confidence.”
Confidence turned negative for the national economy, decreasing nearly 10 points from 53.6 to 44.0, while the state index fell from 55.5 to 51.2.
Capital expenditures had an index reading of 53.4, down from 56.1 last quarter. The sales and profit expectations of business leaders are positive, but subdued, according to Lewandowski. The sales index was 55.8, and the profit index was 53.1.
To access the complete report visit http://leeds.colorado.edu/publication/237. To view a short video of Wobbekind discussing the index visit http://www.colorado.edu/news and click on the Leeds Business Confidence Index story.
COLORADO BUSINESS LEADERS’ CONFIDENCE AT HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 2006, SAYS CU LEEDS SCHOOL INDEX
Apr 1st
Colorado business leaders’ confidence is at its highest level since the second quarter of 2006, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, or LBCI, released today by the University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business.
For the second quarter of 2011, the LBCI posted a reading of 56.8, with the most significant change to the index coming in hiring plans. The index measuring hiring plans rose from 52.5 in the first quarter to 56.3 in the second.
While confidence in the state and national economies has leveled, expectations for sales, industry profits, hiring plans and capital expenditures all recorded aggressive gains, according to Leeds School economist and Business Research Division Director Richard Wobbekind, who conducts the quarterly survey.
“A continued upward trend in all of the indicators suggests that Colorado business leaders see sustained growth over the next quarter and even beyond,” Wobbekind said. “Higher sales and profits are fueling a lot of the business confidence that is out there now, and this is clearly turning into plans to invest in capital equipment and hiring more people, which is very important for the long-term growth of the economy.”
An index of 50 is neutral. An index greater than 50 indicates positive expectations, while an index lower than 50 indicates negative expectations, according to Leeds School researcher Brian Lewandowski, who compiles the survey results for the index.
Colorado’s unemployment rate actually has increased over the past couple of months, even though the business leaders’ index for hiring rose at a hefty rate this quarter. Wobbekind said such mixed messages concerning unemployment rates are common during economic recoveries.
“One of the things that happens with the unemployment rate is it typically goes higher as firms start to hire because people who have been out of work start to come back into the workforce again,” Wobbekind said.
However, that’s only part of the story, he said. Colorado’s unemployment rate was recently revised to a higher rate based on population gains.
“I think this is actually a good thing because it signals to the rest of the country that this isn’t an ‘easy place’ to get a job,” Wobbekind said. “This will probably slow down some of the flow of jobseekers into the state, which is good until we get our employment growth a little further along.”
Business leaders remain positive, but somewhat subdued, regarding national and state economic growth, according to Lewandowski. The national index increased from 53.2 to 53.6, while the state index fell slightly, from 56.5 to 55.5.
Capital expenditures had an index value of 56.1, up from 53.6 last quarter. The sales and profit expectations of business leaders are back to prerecession levels, and are at their highest level since the second quarter of 2007, according to Lewandowski. The sales index was 61.4 and profit index was 58.1.
To access the complete report visit http://leeds.colorado.edu/lbci.