Investing and Global Finance News

Monthly Archives: October 2012

Halloween Candy Sales to Support Businesses Throughout the U.S.

According to the Chicago Tribune, businesses expect this year’s Halloween candy sales to be higher than any other time in the last decade.

National Confectioners Association spokeswoman Susan Whiteside explains that while candy “is a luxury,” it is “a very affordable luxury.” This is especially true when “economic times are tough, the things that bring you a lot of happiness that don’t cost a lot of money tend to stay in your budget.”

Consumers will spend around $2.4 billion on candy for this Halloween, according to the association’s predictions. Overall candy sales for the year will pass $32 billion, as well.

Whiteside described the candy favorites, claiming that chocolates are the most popular choice of all the individually-wrapped, large-bagged candies. Still, premium prices for seasonal and holiday-themed treats will tighten the competition. These include the caramel apple Tootsie Rolls.

Halloween falls in the best season for candy-selling businesses. With no other major holidays nearby, Halloween products gets significant display time on store shelves. Some stores even begin devoting aisles for the theme in August. Another advantage for Halloween sales is the cooling weather- according to American Licorice, candies like chocolate are especially hard to carry and sell during the summer months, because it melts.

Michael Kelly, a spokesman for the store, said Halloween is “a nice driver. It’s nice to have the additional volume coming through our factories.”

 

The Most Powerful Word in Business

In a recent article for Forbes.com, David K. Williams discussed the most powerful, important word in business. He explains that while many would guess “No”, the winner is really “Enough.” The ability to recognize the ‘enough’ moment grants balance and therefore, success. Williams explains: Enough time. “Do you find yourself not having enough time to… Continue Reading

Bank of America Optimistic as House Prices Rise

Before the financial crisis, mortgages kept banking thriving. Once the crisis hit, however, earnings fell dramatically. Mortgage lending today is a completely different game. According to Boston.com: “Bank of America, the country’s second-biggest bank, reported Wednesday that mortgage originations jumped over a year ago- up 18 percent to $21 billion. But the mortgage unit still… Continue Reading

The Business Advantages of Writing a Book

Around 11,000 business books are published every year in the U.S., according to 800CEOREAD CEO Jack Covert. In a recent article for Forbes.com, Erika Anderson discussed the business-related advantages of writing a good book. First, she defines a good book as one that is grammatically correct, understandable, engaging, and that contains ‘clearly stated, useful ideas.’… Continue Reading

Christine Lagarde Calls for Immediate Action

Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, recently called for additional action as Europe continues to grapple with debt and the U.S. struggles with an impending fiscal crisis. Lagarde claimed that the world economy is faring worse than even the more pessimistic expectations. Though the European Central Bank and European governments have taken several… Continue Reading

IMF Projects Slowest Growth Since Recession

The International Monetary Fund projects slow global growth as the euro zone’s situation worsens and other economies remain threatened. It states that the world economy will grow a total of 3.3% this year. This is the slowest since the recession in 2009. “A key issue is whether the global economy is just hitting another bout… Continue Reading

GM to Open Four New Technology Centers

General Motors has been expanding its staff throughout the U.S. Its project continues with their latest announcement, revealing plans to hire up to 1,500 workers for a computer technology center in Michigan, north of Detroit. According to Boston.com, “it is part of a move to bring 90% of information technology in-house, which GM believes will… Continue Reading