Economy
SOREDI Seeks Applications from Rural Entrepreneurs and Companies for its 2020 Southern Oregon Rural Startup Challenge
SOREDI is pleased to announce it is now accepting applications for its inaugural Southern Oregon Rural Startup Challenge, providing up to $60,000 in capital investments by December 31 to rural startups and companies seeking expansion capital. SOREDI, which has facilitated the Southern Oregon Angel Investment Network for numerous years, has…
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Umpqua Bank Releases Nationwide Study gauging the impact of COVID-19
Umpqua Bank | DHM Research Business Resiliency Survey – August 2020 Umpqua Bank released its “Business Resiliency” survey, a nationwide study gauging the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the confidence and future of U.S.-based small and mid-size businesses. More than 1,200 leaders at companies across all industries and geographic…
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Lithia Reports Highest Second Quarter Net Income in Company History
Declares Dividend of $0.31 Per Share for Second Quarter by Press Release Lithia Motors, Inc. www.lithia.com Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE: LAD) today reported second quarter 2020 revenue of $2.8 billion. Second quarter 2020 net income per diluted share was $3.38, a 29% increase from $2.63 per diluted share reported in the…
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Powell Green Lights Easier Policy But Details Lacking
By Tim Duy, Senior Director, Oregon Economic Forum, Professor of Practice Department of Economics, University of Oregon duy@uoregon.edu Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell delivered his much-awaited speech in which he unveiled the outcome of the Fed’s strategy and communications review. As expected, the Fed adopted a policy of average inflation targeting. There,…
Read MoreFederal Reserve Themes In The Second Half of 2020
The pandemic will continue to weigh on the economy but ongoing fiscal support matched by Fed easing will help ease the pain and support markets. By Tim Duy, Senior Director, Oregon Economic Forum, Professor of PracticeDepartment of Economics, University of Oregonduy@uoregon.edu Bloomberg Opinion My Bloomberg column last week: For the…
Read MoreBusiness Oregon Announces Third Round of Grants to Serve Small Businesses, Along With Millions in New Funding
By Nathan Buehler Business Oregon Business Oregon announced the recipients of $5.5 million in grant funding through its Emergency Business Assistance Grant Fund, created by Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Legislature to assist small businesses impacted by COVID-19. To date, the Fund was disbursed through three rounds of Requests…
Read MoreKeep Your Eye On The Ball
By Tim Duy, Senior Director, Oregon Economic Forum, Professor of Practice A better than expected labor report supported another leg up for Wall Street as it was the latest piece of evidence that the worst of the downturn is behind us. While that is most likely true, note that there are…
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A Dozen Asks for Your Governor
By Michael H. Shuman Everyone knows that the three, multi-trillion-dollar stimulus bills passed by Congress fall way short. For most local businesses—the lifeblood of our economy—these bills offer too little relief, too late. I’m hopeful though that the states (and maybe, in some places, counties and cities) can rise to the…
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Defusing an Economy “Rigged to Blow”
By Tony Dutzik The emergence of the novel coronavirus has been a shock to our health care system, our economic system, our communities, our relationships and our psyches. What makes some of those systems more able to absorb, respond and rebuild from shocks than others? Two incidents last week got…
Read MoreOLCC Liquor Stores Generate Record Level of Revenue for State
Increase in March Sales Reflect Transition from Restaurant & Bars to Home Consumption PORTLAND, OR. – Oregon Liquor Control Commission liquor stores sold close to $66 million in distilled spirits in March, an almost 20 percent increase in sales compared to March 2019, and a new March sales record. December…
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The tragic downside of efficiency
There are a handful of mainstream economic values that are part of the consensus of America public policy discourse. The value of growth, for example, is not seriously questioned by anyone wanting to maintain their credibility. I’ve been in countless city council meetings where some ridiculous notion was being pursued…
Read MoreAshland Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 Updates
Greetings from the Ashland Chamber and Travel Ashland, Information about COVID-19 and resources has been moving rapidly. Here is today’s latest update: Today, Jackson and Josephine Counties have been named in the eligible disaster areas for SBA Disaster Loan Assistance. Though the Governor has yet to designate Oregon an official disaster area, our counties have…
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