Indiana should brace for auto fallout
The Big Three and the United Auto Workers do not appear to be serious about making the concessions and changes that are necessary
to make them a viable entity for the long haul.
Economy
Articles
Diesel dip in price not fueling trucking recovery
Hampered much of the year by high fuel prices, trucking companies still may be in for a long haul before they’re back on the
road to recovery.
Worst fallout to come in waning days of recession
The Dec. 1 announcement by the Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research officially dated
the recession back to the fourth quarter of 2007.
Worst auto market in 30 years might force consolidation
New car dealers, usually among the most resilient of all small businesses in weathering economic downturns, are hanging on
for dear life this time around, portending a shakeout among Indiana’s 520 dealers.
Gall about the jobs bank
The jobs bank has come to symbolize whatever the general public thinks is wrong with the United Auto Workers
and Detroit car companies.
For many years, the UAW contract has stipulated that laid-off workers be paid nearly their entire compensation.
Now,…
The plethora of car dealers
Open a local phone book or punch in a Google search on car dealers, and itâ??s immediately apparent Detroit
companies have many, many more dealers than their foreign competitors.
Chevrolet and Ford, for instance, each have more than a dozen dealers…
Study says most U.S. pensions are poised to recover
A new national analysis of U.S. public pension funds suggests most invest prudently, even in volatile times.
Indiana bankruptcies soar
Indiana bankruptcies are rising toward levels not seen since Congress tightened filing rules three years ago, and experts
say stretched consumers and businesses probably won’t reap benefits of an improved economy for at least a year.
Communities making tough choices will be better off
During the coming weeks, a number of Indiana cities and counties will be coming to terms with their new budget realities.
Voice-mail firm’s latest product helps clients collect overdue debts
A growing number of companies strapped for cash and struggling to pay their bills on time is presenting an unusual opportunity
for Vontoo Inc., a local IT firm.
Indiana’s current recession may be less severe than 1982’s
With a growing labor market in Indiana, it would seem this recession, thus far, is an economic shock that may be of shorter
duration and severity than the 1982 decline.
State public company execs grab up stock as prices fall
The unprecedented plunge on Wall Street the last three months has spurred a couple of dozen executives and directors at Indiana
public companies to scoop up shares in their own companies.
Billions lost in state pension-fund fallout
Indiana’s public pensions lost $5 billion in the 12 months ending Sept. 30.
Automotive Finance Corp. writes off $162 million, reflecting slow auto sales
Slowing auto sales have forced Carmel-based Automotive Finance Corp., which lends money to car dealers to buy used vehicles
at auction, to take a big write-off on the declining value of its loan portfolio.
Companies face pension-plan shortfalls
Private employers that still offer traditional pension plans are getting a big shock as they assess how much more it will
cost to shoulder retirement obligations.
Fishers tables $100M development
An Ohio developer and the town of Fishers have agreed to cancel a 2007 development agreement that called for a $100-million
mixed-use project featuring 250,000 square feet of retail space and 150,000 square feet of office.
Government shouldn’t bail out free market system problems
Since 1913, there has been a growing reluctance from our political leaders to allow financial setbacks in our nation to occur
in banking, and that’s been a huge mistake.
Central Indiana colleges on alert to slow spending
Most colleges and universities in central
Indiana are being especially frugal because the value of their university endowments has plunged along with the market,donations
may decrease, and enrollment may decline, due to lack of student loan availability.
Saving our way deeper into a hole
A recent article in The Economist predicts a deep recession next year if we Americans abandon our spendthrift
ways and swing back to a savings lifestyle. What other nation, the magazine wonders, would buy enough things
to keep…
A tiny Indiana bank and the bailout
Newton County Loan & Savings bank couldnâ??t be more out of the way â?? or more relevant in this day of
government bailouts.
The thrift is in Goodland, a burg between Lafayette and Chicago, and has all of $7.3 million in…