03 Feb 2006

Posted at 15:01h in The Friday Brief by
The latest economic news further clouds the picture and investors have acted on that uncertainly by selling stocks.  We expected a sell-off early in the year, but wonder if it has gone a bit too far. 

27 Jan 2006

Posted at 15:03h in The Friday Brief by
The fans and dehumidifiers are gone and the office is dry, quiet, and empty.  We hope to have the walls and trim and paint restored this weekend, with our furniture soon to follow.  We are very thankful for the quick response of the building management and their contractors.  We are also delighted that our network has continued to run throughout the event without skipping a beat.  In the midst of the ruckus we installed our new website.  Please take a look – www.beaconinvest.com.

20 Jan 2006

Posted at 15:15h in The Friday Brief by
As I write this Brief there are about five men in my office cutting sheetrock and removing insulation.  It has been a dusty and noisy week spent in the drone of high speed drying fans and dehumidifiers.  Last weekend our offices were flooded.  Patty’s and my Monday holiday plans were subordinated when we received word from our building’s manager that our office was filled with about an inch and a half of water.  It seems a refrigerator icemaker line in the office above us burst (the night of Friday the 13th maybe?) and ran undiscovered through the weekend.

06 Jan 2006

Posted at 15:19h in The Friday Brief by
The economy continues to grow, creating new jobs even as companies produce more with fewer workers.  Non-farm payrolls increased by 108,000 in December and the unemployment rate dropped form 5.0% to 4.9%.  While the December growth in jobs was about 100,000 less than expected by economists, the number of jobs created in November was increased by the same amount, as reported by the government.  Manufacturing payrolls increased by 18,000 for the month.  Following sufficient economic growth, the continued high productivity rate no longer stifles hiring.  In other words, despite increased output from workers, companies are still forced to hire new ones to keep pace with demand.