Small business owners across the United States are feeling more upbeat about the state of the economy as a growing number expect the downturn to be “short-lived,” the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) reports. The NFIB’s optimism index jumped 3.5 points in May to 94.4, a “strong improvement” over its April reading of 90.9, … Continue reading Small Biz Optimism Swells, But Challenges Remain Continue Reading
Trouble may be brewing in the key auto finance sector in the months ahead amid the economic fallout from the coronavirus, despite a drop in loan delinquency rates in the United States in the first quarter, a new report by credit agency Experian finds. Both 30- and 60-day delinquencies on auto loans dropped in the first quarter, to … Continue reading Auto Debt Sets Records As Coronavirus Fallout Looms Continue Reading
Reports of a hacker-for-hire group dubbed “Dark Basin,” which has targeted journalists, advocacy groups and elected officials, are rocketing around the world. The India-based Dark Basin has been exposed by Citizen Lab, which is an “interdisciplinary laboratory” that is part of the University of Toronto’s Munk School and is focused on the intersection of information and communication technologies, human … Continue reading India-Based Hackers Target Advocacy Groups, Others Continue Reading
New hiring fell to an all-time low in April as coronavirus lockdowns took a steep toll on economic activity across the United States, according to newly released Department of Labor stats. Hiring plunged to 3.5 million in April, or a decline of 1.6 million from the month before and the lowest since the Labor Department’s JOLTS (Job … Continue reading US Hiring Hit Rock Bottom In April As Coronavirus Downturn Deepened, JOLTS Report Shows Continue Reading
To connect modern accounting firms with small businesses, FreshBooks rolled out its FreshBooks Accounting Professionals Program. The software firm said the initiative is inspired by a Collaborative Accounting approach that has accounting professionals and their small business clients working in connection as a team and sharing bookkeeping work, according to an announcement. FreshBooks Accounting Professionals Program members will … Continue reading FreshBooks Unveils Initiative To Link Accounting Professionals With SMBs Continue Reading
Online auto retailer Vroom Inc. saw its shares more than double on Tuesday (June 9) on their first day of trading following the company’s initial public offering (IPO). The firm’s stock traded as high as $47.50, up 115.9 percent from the stock’s IPO price of $22. However, it later pulled back a bit to $44.10 shortly before … Continue reading Vroom’s Shares Surge Following IPO Amid Digital Shift Continue Reading
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is working on facilitating 5G wireless networks across the U.S., according to a press release. The FCC is doing so by looking into how it can speed up the upgrades to existing wireless infrastructure through state and local rules, the release states, in order to provide the high-speed 5G networks which … Continue reading FCC Removes Some Barriers To 5G Implementation Continue Reading
As many as 25,000 stores could close by year’s end, most of them in malls, as part of the fallout from COVID-19, a new survey reveals. Coresight Research, a global research company, said the record number of closures is expected to exceed the more than 9,300 locations shuttered in 2019, CNBC reported. The latest numbers from the … Continue reading 25K Store Closures Forecast Amid Pandemic Continue Reading
MoneyGram has been doing well in May, illustrated by a triple-digit percentage increase in digital transactions. The popular money transfer app reported a 100 percent growth increase year-over-year in May, a press release states. That’s a significant jump from the company’s 57 percent digital transaction spike in the first quarter. The growth in May was driven by MoneyGram … Continue reading MoneyGram Reports 100 Percent Digital Transaction Growth In May Continue Reading
A Texas operator of several payment processing centers has agreed to be permanently banned from the industry in order to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the state of Ohio that they unlawfully participated in scams, according to a press release. Madera Merchant Services LLC, also doing business as eCheck Processing and B&P … Continue reading FTC Bans Rogue Payment Processor In Settlement Over Alleged Scams Continue Reading