Chamber’s Ribbon-Cutting makes it Official
Clarksville, TN – Members of the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce were on hand Monday to officially open the new office of Kirk Low, C.P.A. with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The office is located at 2535 Madison Street Suite D in the Blue Stone Center.
Clarksville Chamber of Commerce officially opened Kirk Low C.P.A. with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Weekly Market Snapshot from Frazier Allen
Market Commentary by Scott J. Brown, Ph.D., Chief Economist
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
The economic data were mixed, but mostly positive. Real GDP rose at a 3.2% annual rate in Q410, a bit below the consensus forecast, but the details were relatively strong. Inventory growth slowed sharply, subtracting 3.7 percentage points from headline GDP. Exports continued to advance, but imports fell (note that imports have a negative sign in the GDP calculation), and combined, net exports added 3.4 percentage points to GDP growth.
Consumer spending rose at a strong 4.4% annual rate, partly reflecting a drop in the savings rate. Business fixed investment also rose 4.4%, slower than in recent quarters, but still positive. The sharp deceleration in inventory growth (assuming it holds up in revisions) suggests strong GDP growth in the near term (as inventory growth picks back up). Note that the 2% reduction in payroll taxes will boost disposable income and support consumer spending growth in early 2011. [Read more]
The Weekly Market Snapshot from Frazier Allen
Market Commentary by Scott J. Brown, Ph.D., Chief Economist
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
The economic data were mixed, but generally consistent with a continued recovery. Housing starts fell in December, but building permits (which are reported more accurately than starts) rose sharply (partly reflecting the usual volatility in the multi-family sector). Existing home sales were stronger than anticipated in December, but these represent closings (and hence, lag somewhat). Higher mortgage rates may have dampened housing activity into the new year. The Index of Leading Economic Indicators posted another strong gain in December, boosted by the rise in building permits.
The stock market seemed to struggle with good news (earnings reports and the economic data releases). Bond yields rose, pressured by the economic data and by a disappointing 10-year TIPS auction. Crude oil prices backed down somewhat following reports of higher inventories. [Read more]
The Weekly Market Snapshot from Frazier Allen
Market Commentary by Scott J. Brown, Ph.D., Chief Economist
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
The economic data remained consistent with a moderate pace of economic expansion. Retail sales rose 0.6% in December, up 0.5% excluding autos, boosted somewhat by higher gasoline prices. Industrial production rose 0.8%, aided by colder temperatures (utility output up 4.3%, manufacturing up 0.4%). As anticipated, headline inflation figures were boosted by higher energy prices in December and the impact was magnified by the season adjustment. The Consumer Price Index rose 1.5% in the 12 months ending in December, up just 0.8% ex-food & energy (vs. the Federal Reserve’s implicit goal of around 2%). Jobless claims jumped, but the figures are normally choppy during this time of year (due to difficulties in the seasonal adjustment). [Read more]
New CPA Office Opens
Clarksville, TN – Just in time for the tax season, a new accounting firm has opened in Clarksville. Kirk Low C.P.A. recently opened an office in the Blue Stone Center at 2535 Madison Street Suite D.
Kirk Low C.P.A. in the Blue Stone Center at 2535 Madison Street Suite D.
Fujiyama brings the best New York dining experience to Clarksville, TN
Tony Yang, owner of Fujiyama Japanese Steak and Sushi
Clarksville, TN – Fujiyama, a Japanese Steak and Sushi restaurant has opened in Clarksville. It is located at 2257 Wilma Rudolph Blvd next to the Mulligan’s Package Store.
The business is owned by Tony Yang, whom area residents will remember as the head Sushi Chef at China King on Lowes Drive. Yang has been cooking for around 20 years. He trained in the art of cooking in New York City at the Sakura and Mizu restaurants. He came to Clarksville to work with his brother, who was the first owner of China King Restaurant on Lowes Drive. He worked there for 6 years.
“It’s always been my dream to own my own restaurant,” Yang said laughing when asked how it felt to own his own business. He said that it had taken him over three months of painstaking preparations to get the new restaurant ready to open; and it was worth every second.
The Interior of the Fujiyama Restaurant
The Weekly Market Snapshot from Frazier Allen
Market Commentary by Scott J. Brown, Ph.D., Chief Economist
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
The stock market began the year relatively optimistic about the 2011 economic outlook, but the week’s mixed economic data dampened the euphoria to some extent. The ISM surveys improved in December, but the employment gauges in those reports were relatively soft. While the holiday shopping season was deemed a great success, chain-store sales results were mixed (as many disappointments as upside surprises).The December Employment Report was a mixed bag. The strong ADP estimate of private-sector payrolls (+297,000) led many economists to revise their forecasts of the official Bureau of Labor Statistics figure. The BLS payroll figure disappointed, rising by only 103,000, although a +70,000 revision to the two previous months took away some of the sting. Job gains were led by leisure and hospitality (+47,000) and healthcare (+35,700). Temp-help added 15,900 (+16.1% y/y). State and local government shed 20,000 (down 250,000, or 1.3%, over the last 12 months). The unemployment rate fell to 9.4% from 9.8%, but part of that appears to have been an unwinding of a quirk that boosted the rate in November. In addition, the temporary lapse in extended unemployment insurance benefits likely reduced the rate in December. The employment-to-population ratio has been little changed over the last 12 months. [Read more]
Better Homes and Garden Real Estate Hometown Connection brings a new focus to area real estate market
Maurice Vaughn, owner of Better Homes and Garden Real Estate Hometown Connection in Clarksville.
Clarksville, TN – Like many other industries the Real Estate business has undergone major changes since the rise of the Internet. Local Realtor Maurice Vaughn with over 28 years of experience in the business had come to see the writing on the wall. Businesses had either adapt their business models to utilize the new technology, or face extinction.
Keeping up with constantly changing technology is expensive, which can put it out of the reach of many small businesses. So to enable his reality company to continue to succeed, Vaughn partnered with the Realogy Corporation who signed a licensing deal in October 2007 with the Meredith Corporation to use the Better Homes and Gardens brand to market real estate.In just one year Vaughn’s company “Better Homes and Garden Real Estate Hometown Connection,” has risen to become one of the top three real estate companies in Clarksville-Montgomery County. “We started out with 7 agents, and in just a year we now have 64, a growth of 800%.”
Popular TV Host and Emcee joins WJZM
Clarksville, TN – Art Conn, the longtime host of Clarksville’s Best Buys joins WJZM radio as co-host of the ”Bone Show”, Clarksville’s longest running morning show in 2011. Heard weekday mornings from 6:00am-9:00am on 1400 AM, and worldwide at www.wjzm.com, Conn becomes a part of the only morning talk show in the Clarksville/Fort Campbell market.
The Bone Show signed on the air in August of 1994, and is a part of Clarksville’s oldest radio station, offering a variety of local news talk and sports programming. [Read more]
The Weekly Market Snapshot from Frazier Allen
Market Commentary by Scott J. Brown, Ph.D., Chief Economist
Scott J. Brown Ph.D., Chief Economist Raymond James Investment Services
It was a relatively quiet week in terms of the economic data. Consumer confidence figures for December disappointed. However, what people say and what they do are two separate things (the soft confidence figure is countered by evidence of increased consumer spending). Evaluations of current job availability remained depressed. Holiday sales were reported as “strong,” but heavy snow buried post-Christmas sales in some areas.
Claims for unemployment insurance benefits fell below 400,000 in the Christmas week, but the figures are suspect due to the seasonal adjustment. Still, the trend in claims has been lower over the last few months – still relatively high by historical standards (we need to see the figure moving below 350,000 to be consistent with a “strong” job market), but moving in the right direction. The December Chicago Purchasing Managers survey and the November Pending Home Sales Index rose more than expected, but failed to have much of an impact on the markets. [Read more]
