Rand Heads for Best Month in Two Years as Exporter Demand Climbs – Bloomberg

December 31, 2012

The rand headed for its best month in two years as exporters repatriated foreign currency and stronger-than-forecast data on China’s manufacturing boosted prices of metals. South Africa’s currency gained as much as 0.2 percent and traded less than 0.1 percent stronger at 8.4747 per dollar by 9:07 a.m. in Johannesburg. Yields on government 10.5 percent […]

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City manufacturers continue to invest – Grand Rapids Business Journal (subscription)

December 31, 2012

(As seen on WZZM TV 13) In a recent issue of the Business Journal, Brian Long reported that manufacturers in the metro area are bucking the nation’s downward industrial trend. Long, who directs supply chain management research at GVSU’s Seidman College of Business, wrote that numerous firms are at full capacity and reporting all-time highs […]

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Progress watch 2012: Smart phones, jobs returning to America, and war crimes … – Yahoo! News (blog)

December 30, 2012

Good news is hard to find. That’s partly because, no matter what the topic, there’s so much distracting bad news: ongoing violence in Syria, America’s allegedly imminent fiscal demise, the National Hockey League lockout. From the front page to the sports page, so little looks good. It isn’t just the cacophony of naysaying and fear […]

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Switzerland on the box, but what’s inside? – swissinfo.ch

December 30, 2012

by Christian Raaflaub, swissinfo.ch Dec 30, 2012 – 11:00 Switzerland as a brand is deserving of better protection. But what constitutes a product’s Swissness is still very much up for debate, with different interest groups trying to impose a legal definition that suits them best. Switzerland has benefited from its good reputation: Swiss made has long […]

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Small business owners facing issues in 2013 – Foster’s Daily Democrat

December 30, 2012

 NEW YORK (AP) — In 2013, small business owners will contend with many of the same issues that made it hard to run their companies over the last 12 months. They’re also heading into the new year with a lot of uncertainty. It’s unlikely that negotiations in Congress will resolve all of lawmakers’ disagreements over […]

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Political Winners and Losers of 2012 – Germantown Now (blog)

December 29, 2012

Political Winners and Losers of 2012 Posted by Paul Adair on Dec. 29, 2012 10:44 a.m. | 0 comments Education, Economy, Germantown, Political, School Board, U.S., Wisconsin  2012 […]

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Five economic charts that will define 2013 – Quartz

December 26, 2012

The end of the year is accompanied by a flurry of predictions from financial analysts about what the new year will bring. 2012 has been a year of political gridlock in Europe, topped off by the end-of-year fiscal cliff debates in the US and the election of monetary policy activist Shinzo Abe in Japan. What […]

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5 issues small business owners will face in 2013 – Santa Rosa Press Democrat

December 26, 2012

They’re also heading into the new year with a lot of uncertainty. It’s unlikely that negotiations in Congress will resolve all of lawmakers’ disagreements over tax and budget issues that affect small businesses. And there are still many questions about the implications of the health care law for small companies. That points to continued […]

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Exporters face dollar pain – New Zealand Herald

December 26, 2012

Market commentators expect excursion by kiwi into the high 80s next year. If exporters thought this year was hard going, then 2013 is shaping up to be even tougher if the pundits prove correct and the New Zealand dollar continues to grind its way higher. When the New Zealand currency appreciates, exporters’ returns diminish as […]

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Burlington IT firm grows its work force by 50 percent in 2012 due to onshoring … – Boston Business Journal (blog)

December 26, 2012

Jon Chesto Managing Editor, Print- Boston Business Journal, Email,   | Twitter Collaborative Consulting’s participation in the “onshoring” trend brought significant growth to the Burlington IT company’s staff in 2012 — and to its revenue. John Williams, the firm’s senior vice president of services, tells me that the company currently employs about 310 people, up about 50 percent from […]

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