Disrupted water supply

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Covid lockdowns, slow economic growth and geopolitical conflict stand out on the long list of less-than-glowing business news headlines from China of late. “There definitely is a fair amount of negative business sentiment out there,” says Kenneth Jarrett, a senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group and long-time diplomat and China business observer who has been on the ground in the country throughout a tumultuous year there in 2022. Yet that sentiment hasn’t done much to shake the interest of American multinationals in China, the world’s No. 2 economy. “The long-term view of China and the opportunities here has not changed at all,” Jarrett told attendees of the 2022 U.S.-China Business Forum held at Forbes on Fifth in New York. Jarrett spoke via Zoom from Shanghai. American companies “understand that if they want to be successful globally, they have to be successful here in China.” Behind that conviction is a big … [Read more...] about Growth Prospects Top Today’s Angst Among American Companies: U.S.-China Business Forum

The number of small business owners reporting inflation as their top business problem has reached its highest level since 1979, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Thirty-seven percent of small business owners reported that inflation was their single most important problem in operating their business, an increase of three points from June and the highest level since the fourth quarter of 1979. Overall, the NFIB’s Small Business Optimism Index rose to 89.9, marking the sixth consecutive month below the 48-year average of 98. The reading was higher than estimates for a reading of 89 and slightly more than June’s reading of 89.5. Owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months increased nine points from June’s record low level to a net negative 52%. Expectations for better business conditions had deteriorated every month from January to June of this year. Thirty-two percent of owners reported that supply chain … [Read more...] about Small Business Inflation Worries Highest Since 1979

GAS PRICES SHATTER RECORD HIGHS… USA TODAY: Gas prices are now the most expensive in US history, breaking record from 2008 After days of dramatically rising gas prices in wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national average for a gallon of gas is now the highest in United States history, breaking the record that stood for nearly 14 years. As of Tuesday morning, the cost of regular gas in the U.S. is $4.17, according to AAA, up from $4.06 on Monday. Last week, the average cost was $3.60. The previous national average high was $4.11, set on July 17, 2008, according to AAA. The cost for diesel is also nearing the record of $4.84, which was also set in July 2008. The current price for a gallon of diesel is $4.75, over double what it was in October 2020. WORSE THAN HOLLYWOOD COULD IMAGINE… ‘I Am Legend’ Set A Prediction For Gas Prices In The Apocalypse. Prices In Beverly Hills Just Surpassed It In one rich pocket of the country, gas is officially more … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Gas Prices Shatter Record Highs