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| Consumer confidence among Floridians rose in March by three points to 65.
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| Perceptions of personal finances now compared to a year ago rose one point to 42 while perceptions of personal finances a year from now remained unchanged at 79. Perceptions of U.S. economic conditions over the next year rose ten points to 59 while perceptions of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years rose 12 points to 79. Perceptions as to whether it is a good time to buy big ticket items fell eight points to 64.
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| @ UF Bureau of Economic and Business Research | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0201 EDST
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| The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index™ Relatively Unchanged in March
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| The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index™, which had declined sharply in February, was flat in March. The Index now stands at 26.0 (1985=100), up from 25.3 in February. The Present Situation Index declined to 21.5 from 22.3 last month. The Expectations Index increased to 28.9 from 27.3 in February.
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| @ The Conference Board | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0315 EDST
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| Crist confirms deal for U.S. Sugar reduced
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| The new deal amounts to less than half the 180,000 acres that Crist had earlier announced the state would buy for $1.34 billion, under the deal's first downsizing in November. Crist would not discuss the new price but figures under discussion range from $500 million to $600 million, sources close to the negotiations say.
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| @ Palm Beach Post | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0320 EDST
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| @ | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0330 EDST
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| Lennar posts first-quarter loss that rose 77 percent
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| Home builder Lennar Corp. said Monday its fiscal first-quarter losses ballooned 77 percent as it booked charges to adjust land and inventory values, while home deliveries and new orders plunged despite stepped-up buyer incentives. The Miami-based company, one of Southwest Florida’s largest builders, said it lost $155.9 million, or 98 cents a share, for the quarter that ended Feb. 28. That compares with a loss of $88.2 million, or 56 cents a share, in the same period last year.
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| @ Sarasota Herald Tribune | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0345 EDST
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| Chicago Sun-Times hops on bankruptcy bandwagon
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| The parent of the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11, beaten into U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware 113 days earlier by rival Chicago Tribune's parent, Tribune Co. Unlike Tribune Co., which has remained profitable despite the economic downturn but entered bankruptcy because it was unable to manage the massive debt load incurred going private in late 2007, Sun-Times Media Group says it has no bank debt.
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| @ Chicago Tribune | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0400 EDST
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| 1 in 5 home loans in Florida delinquent
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| Florida's mortgage crisis worsened significantly in the last three months of 2008, with a stunning one in five home loans one month or more past due, the highest delinquency rate among the 50 states,
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| @ Miami Herald | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0415 EDST
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| The New Year Didn’t Change the Downward Spiral of Residential Real Estate Prices According to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Prices Indices
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Home Price Indices, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, shows continued broad based declines in the prices of existing single family homes across the United States, with 13 of the 20 metro areas showing record rates of annual decline, and 14 reporting declines in excess of 10% versus January 2008.
Edito's Comment: This study is over just 20 out of some 390 MSA's across the county. It it NOT a representative sample
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| @ Standard & Poor's | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0419 EDST
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| Canada's economy shrank 0.7% in January
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| Gross domestic product declined 0.7% during the month, following a 1% contraction in December. For the year, GDP contracted 2.4% from January 2008 - the biggest decline since March 1991.
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| @ Financial Post - CA | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0646 EDST
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| Canadian oil and gas slump freezes Western drilling
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| A harsh spring has descended early on the Canadian oil patch, as drilling rigs have gone almost completely silent nearly three weeks before they normally break for the mid-April thaw. Only 12 per cent of the Western Canadian drilling fleet is currently working, a third the normal percentage at this time of year, and the number could fall to historic lows in coming weeks.
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| @ Globe and Mail - CA | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0652 EDST
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| We'll recover soon, world's most opmisitic economist vows
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| James Smith, chief economist at a North Carolina wealth management firm, holds the distinction of being the most optimistic forecaster in a survey of 77 U.S. economists conducted by Bloomberg News. He's predicting the recession-bound American economy could actually enjoy a recovery before the end of the year and will definitely be rebounding strongly by February or March. Although he's recently shaved a point off his sunny forecast, he's still looking for a relatively healthy 2.3-per-cent economic growth next year.
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| @ Montreal Gazette | Posted: 04/01/09 at 0655 EDST
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