Previously, I said that foreclosure should be
the word of the year, but I'm thinking that I should have said "layoff" instead. Depressing as it may be, big companies are continuing large layoffs through this holiday season and I can't figure out a better time to figure out the formula for holding on to the jobs we have.
Fortune says there's five main points to consider when protecting yourself from job loss, and I'd like to think the respected business publication knows its stuff.
A
poll released yesterday shows that 55 percent of Americans are at least somewhat confident that Barack Obama's economic team can lead the US out of its economic troubles.
Last week, when Obama held three consecutive press conferences to address the economic crisis,
the markets rallied. In addition, Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman
dubbed the recently unveiled economic team (made up of economists and many Clinton vets) the "Ministry of Talents."
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us, what deals do we have to look forward to? Plenty! Check out today's bargain picks for you to give to someone special or yourself.
Yesterday the National Bureau of Economic Research, the official recession party starter, announced the recession was well underway and has been since December 2007. Taking
a year to make it official may have caused national exasperation, but waiting until the weekend after its Friday meeting may have saved Black Friday. Bless us all!
Sales rose three percent from last year, which while modest is far from the decline feared.
While they're nothing new to the world of restaurant dining, lately fixed-price menus have become more prevalent. Last month, as the nation's economy reached record lows, online reservation system
OpenTable promoted its
Appetite Stimulus Plan, a three-course, prix fixe promotional offering at restaurants in 13 US cities. I've noticed a number of San Francisco dining spots with set menu bargains, and
New York establishments are also suggesting several courses for a steal.
The US Is Officially in a Recession — Are You Surprised? We've been throwing around the word recession in connection with the US economy for some time now — everything from recession-proof jobs to recession-proof beauty is common vocabulary. However, in a statement released just today, the National Bureau of Economic Research conceded that the economy has been in a recession since December 2007.
We've been throwing around the word recession in connection with the US economy for some time now — everything from
recession-proof jobs to
recession-proof beauty is common vocabulary. However, in a statement released just today, the National Bureau of Economic Research confirmed that the
economy has been in a recession since December 2007.
The last time the economy was in a recession was 2001, after the tech bubble burst.
After hearing the news that a Wal-Mart employee
was brutally trampled to death by discount-hungry shoppers on Black Friday, you might think eager shoppers everywhere turned out for after-Thanksgiving sales. While other retailers avoided such tragedy on the biggest shopping day of the year, they didn't draw in the same crowds and are now apprehensively facing the bad news that 2008 could end in the red.
The prospect of getting something for less might have caused some aggressive crowds, but the number of shoppers out this Black Friday didn't compare to those in recent years.
You might have heard somewhere, make that everywhere, that it's Black Friday. It wasn't given a special name just because it's the day after Thanksgiving, and retailers have traditionally counted on the shopping holiday to push their sales into profitable territory.
It's still a relevant day, but some stores have been advertising Black Friday-type-can't-miss-sales since the beginning of November as retailers began to get increasingly nervous about consumers spending less this holiday season.
