03 Mar 2006

Posted at 13:13h in The Friday Brief by
After a month and a half since our office flood we are now back to normal.  The wood floor is installed, carpets cleaned and laid, walls and baseboards replaced and painted, art hung on the walls, and furniture returned from various idle locations in our 30-story office building.  ‘Normal,’ whether real or imagined is nice, even if for a short while.  It’s what gives us a chance to catch our breath before the next round of challenge and growth. 

17 Feb 2006

Posted at 14:53h in The Friday Brief by
The stock market with all of its intraday gyrations finishes the week up nicely.  Following a decline on Monday, the last three days have culminated in a 1.8% rise in the S&P 500.  In contrast to last week, when good news was bad, investors decided the liked the sound of a roaring economy, especially if Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke doesn’t drown it out with the inflation drum.  On Tuesday, the government reported the strongest monthly gain in retail sales in nearly two years confirming that the economy is as strong as ever.  The Dow industrials rose 136 points, or 1.25% to 11028.