Business Blog

While individual motorists are feeling the pain at the pump from near daily increases in the per gallon price of gasoline, the rising prices are likely to stunt the already meager growth in Mississippi’s overall economy, a state senior economist says. Combined with the Jan. 1 return of a 2 percent portion of the payroll [...]

The numbers are starting to come in on the cost of the $86 billion federal budget sequester that kicks in March 1. For starters, Mississippi stands to lose $50.4 million in civilian defense payroll this year. That loss is to come from the planned furloughs of 800,000 Department of Defense civilians workers as part of [...]

Get used to the idea of $85 billion in automatic cuts to defense and domestic programs starting next Friday under a sequester deal Congress made with the White House in August 2011. At least that’s the indication U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper gave during a stop Wednesday at the Mississippi Capitol for the Madison County Business [...]

The Mississippi Economic Council Insight Tour has a couple of more weeks to go before arriving in Hattiesburg on March 1 for its final stop. The tour, which began in Gulfport on Jan. 24, is gathering thoughts and suggestions on strengthening the state’s business climate and offers participants a chance to network with business people [...]

Amazon.com is clearly in a bind as states grow more eager to tax the online sales of the world’s largest cyber retailer. That makes it difficult to understand why Mississippi doesn’t stop digging through the couch cushions for loose change when it instead could get in line for a well deserved payday. If nothing else, [...]

The University of Mississippi School of Law will launch the nation’s first LL.M. in Air and Space Law in the fall, with the degree program being available both on campus and online and as a full-time or part-time program. Once it receives the necessary approvals, including the American Bar Association acquiescence – expected this month [...]

Gun sales slowed in Mississippi in January based on federal background checks, though sellers say the decline is more a symptom of short supplies of firearms rather than waning demand. The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama saw the largest declines in background checks from December to January, by about one-third. Nationwide, [...]

Mississippi manufacturers that want to begin export operations or expand current ones can get details on resources and other help available to them at a Feb. 7 workshop in Indianola sponsored by the Delta Regional Authority. Mississippi State University’s Franklin Furniture Institute is hosting the Getting to Know Your Export Resources workshop. It is funded [...]

By BECKY GILLETTE John D. Correnti, the businessman Arkansas is counting on to deliver “the largest economic development project in the state’s history,” a proposed $1.1 billion steel mill in Mississippi County in northeast Arkansas, has recently failed to deliver on promises for big projects in Mississippi. Tuesday Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe announced that Correnti’s [...]

Toyota Motor Manufacturing sold a record 9.75 million vehicles last year, according to an official tally released Monday, roaring past General Motors and Volkswagen to reclaim its title as the world’s top automaker in 2012. The Japanese automaker which opened a Corolla plant in Mississippi’s Blue Springs in 2011 had a 27 percent increase in [...]