After bumpy August, economy shows signs of growth

August began with rising fears that another recession was about to hit. That was then.
A month later, the economy and the stock market appear more resilient, suggesting that consumers, businesses and investors remain confident enough to keep spending.
A more authoritative test will come Friday, when the government issues the August jobs report. Employers are expected […]

Advocates demand state sever SynCare contract

An alliance of Missouri health care providers implored the state on Friday to “immediately terminate” a contractor they say has failed to deliver vital services to Missouri’s Medicaid recipients.
In a letter to state budget director Linda Luebbering, the advocates charge that SynCare LLC has mismanaged the contract from the moment it was hired in May. […]

Deere 3Q profit up 15 percent, outlook improves

Deere & Co. says third-quarter net income jumped 15 percent and it’s boosting its sales outlook for the year with global demand for its green and gold equipment remaining strong.
Deere said Wednesday that it generated $712.3 million, or $1.69 per share, in the quarter that ended July 31. That’s up from $617 million, or $1.44 […]

South Korea confident it can beat financial storm

When it comes to weathering economic storms, South Koreans can rightly claim more familiarity than most with the harrowing experience of seeing hard-won prosperity evaporate.
Ever since the East Asian economic crisis spread to its shores in late 1997, government officials, media and ordinary citizens have kept up a nervous vigilance against any hint of turmoil.
The […]

St. Louis-based banks: a snapshot

BANKS HEADQUARTERED IN ST. LOUIS AREA: A SNAPSHOT
Bad loans and
# of Return on Bad loans/ foreclosed property/ Tier 1
banks assets* total loans # total loans leverage ratio+
Q2 2010 77 0.47% 2.62% 4.21% 9.51%
Q3 2010 76 0.46% 2.86% 4.53% 9.52%
Q4 2010 75 0.33% 3.02% 4.65% 9.45%
Q1 2011 75 0.53% 3.16% 4.92% 9.51%
Q2 2011 74 0.56% 3.15% […]

Tim Hortons delivers modest profit

OAKVILLE, ONT.—Coffee store chain Tim Hortons (TSX: THI) reported Thursday a second-quarter profit of $95.5 million, up slightly from a year-earlier $94.1 million as revenues jumped nearly 10 per cent.
That amounted to net earnings of 58 cents per share, compared with 54 cents per share in the same period a year earlier.
Factoring out a three […]

Hamilton: Ontario should reconsider offshore wind

Had the opportunity this week to do some standup paddle boarding at Cherry Beach, or what enthusiasts refer to as SUP

Foreclosure activity down in most US metro areas

Most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are seeing a sharp drop in foreclosure activity as banks take longer to move against homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments.
In the first half of this year, 84 percent of metropolitan areas with a population of at least 200,000 saw their foreclosure rate drop versus the […]

Second Greece bailout sends world stocks higher

World stock markets climbed Friday as investors signaled their approval of a massive new bailout plan for Greece and broader measures to tackle the continent’s debt problems.
A rally that began the day in Asia extended to Europe, with all major markets in positive territory.
In early European trading, London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.9 percent to 5,950.06. […]

James Murdoch contradicted by his legal manager

James Murdoch has been contradicted over testimony in which he claimed to have been unaware of a critical piece of evidence in Britain’s phone hacking scandal.
Murdoch was quizzed by parliamentarians earlier this week over an email dating back several years which suggested that other journalists at his company were involved in the campaign of illegal […]