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Metals Thoughts: Expensive insurance
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesSomewhere between a Brexit vote, global negative interest rate policy, a U.S. election and a less steep fed hike path, traders the world over are finding excuses to go risk-off. Since none of this is altogether new or surprising, it's been fairly moderated in asset prices, but the derivatives have been host to a lot of action.
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Should you add monitoring devices to your company vehicles?
D. Albert Brannen Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementHighway accidents remain the leading cause of work-related deaths and also carry tremendous personal, social and economic costs. The good news is new technologies in on-board safety monitoring systems are being developed and implemented in both commercial fleets and private vehicles to offer the potential to further improve safety.
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No-tipping restaurants: A new trend in the US
Linchi Kwok Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementMore U.S. restaurants are opting in the no-tipping policy, according to a CNBC report. The report also cited the results of an American Express Restaurant Trade Survey with 503 random restaurateurs.
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Metals Thoughts: Uniformly underwhelmed
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesFriday's terrible number for the headline job creation has taken the wind out of the June-hike sails. In case you have been under a rock, the U.S. economy added only 38,000 jobs in May, versus expectations of 160,000 or so. Even if you add back the 35,000 or so jobs that have already come back in from the resolution of the Verizon labor strike, it's a poor number.
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The unintended consequences of the new overtime rules
Hank Boyer Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementProponents of the new regulations argue that many workers being paid a salary ("overtime exempt") between $23,660 and $47,476 are unfairly denied overtime compensation afforded to hourly workers ("nonexempt"). This move is being hailed as a way to put more money in the pockets of low- and middle-income Americans.
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Happily ever broke? Study says wedding spending at all-time high
Julie Bernhard Travel, Hospitality & Event ManagementWedding season is upon us. From the cake to the flowers to the venue to the dress, brides and grooms alike are shelling out for what they presume to be the happiest day of their lives. And not only are they making it rain — they are doing it at a much higher rate in United States.
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Business buzzwords: Baseball loads the bases
Paul Zukowski CommunicationsPlayed professionally since 1871 and celebrated as America's "national pastime," baseball and its close cousin softball are as familiar as apple pie to citizens of the USA. So it's no wonder that many figures of speech are derived from the game, including business buzzwords.
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Metals Thoughts: Carried away
Brad Yates Natural ResourcesMetals had a tough month of May, with speculative positioning running out, hawkish FOMC minutes, the dollar strengthening and then breaking the 50 DMA to the downside. Fed chair Janet Yellen's comments Friday at Harvard made it clear that at least July (if not June) is a live meeting, and the market had to immediately reprice the curve.
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Parking pitfalls for commercial tenants
Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield RetailDo you have enough parking spaces for your customers, you and your staff? It's a common problem we see with both new and established businesses. Here are a number of factors to consider. First and foremost, what is the availability of parking spaces for your customers? Does it appear that there are there enough stalls for all to use? Where are these parking spaces — in front of, behind or at the side of the building? Stalls located beside or behind the building may not be immediately visible.
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10 ways to make sure your STARS don’t quit
Mel Kleiman Business Management, Services & Risk ManagementOf all the people on your payroll or staff, how many are truly STARS? Your STARS are all the employees you value most highly because they are Self-motivated, Talented, Accountable, Responsible and Stable. If they should leave you, for whatever reason, it would be a real blow to your organization.
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