Business | The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA

Latest Headlines

5:46 AM

Year in Review: Economic News

Editor’s note: Northeastern Pennsylvania wasn’t immune to the economic slowdown of 2009 or to the disruptions in iconic corporations like General Motors. But unlike in past recessions, the region fared better than many other parts of the United States, at least in broad measures of economic health such as unemployment, foreclosures and property values.

4:10 AM

Steal and Deals: Welcome the new year with a free calendar of your choice - Andrew Seder

So 2009 is winding down and that means you’ll need a new calendar. Why buy one when there are a variety of freebies out there for the taking?

D.C. hot air, natural gas ’09 highlights Ron Bartizek Business LOCAL

If, as some have suggested, we just lived through an economic and financial calamity like no other since the Great Depression, 2009 also contained hints of what’s to come, both locally and for the nation. Here are a few observations from beyond the Beltway and Wall Street:

Bible’s tips on money contested

BOSTON — A Hummer, a 1957 hot rod, a comfortable house in a gated community — if Bob Vigliotti wanted something, he bought it. Cash or credit didn’t matter. As a successful commercial real estate developer from Naples, Fla., he could afford it. Until he couldn’t.

Google sharpens aim on mobile marketing with AdMob

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Four years ago, Omar Hamoui was just another ineffectual entrepreneur trying to spruce up his resume in graduate school.

Associated Press

House backers of public insurance option may yield - 12/27/2009

Two House Democrats who favor a government insurance plan, a central element of health care legislation passed in their chamber, acknowledged Sunday it might have to be sacrificed as negotiators work out a final agreement with the Senate. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, the No. 3 Democrat in the House and one who had appealed to

Car showrooms are reborn as places to play, learn - 12/27/2009

With hard times in the auto industry and car dealerships closing around the country, the gleaming showrooms that once featured next year's models are becoming this year's new store, restaurant, school, day care center or yoga studio. In Lane County, Ore., Joe Softich from Catholic Community Services helps erect shelves and unload boxe

Failed attack likely won't crash airline stocks - 12/27/2009

Two weekend security incidents aren't expected to have much effect on airline stocks. Investors instead are likely to focus on an improving economy when trading resumes Monday. A failed attack on a Northwest flight Christmas Day and another incident on the same flight Sunday may set travelers on edge, but investors Monday are expected

Decline in number of US auto dealerships - 12/27/2009

New uses for auto showrooms can be traced, in part, to a steady decline in the number of franchised new car dealerships in the U.S. The number of new car dealerships open at the start of these years: 1970: 30,800 1980: 27,900 1990: 24,825 2000: 22,250 2005: 21,650 2008: 20,770