Business Blog

  Wholesale natural gas prices have doubled during the last year, and that’s bringing sighs of relief from an unusual variety of interests. Soaring production and an unusually warm winter sent prices plunging to under $2 per thousand cubic feet last spring, prompting some to wonder whether the natural gas boom would kill demand for [...]

JACKSON — Economists say growth and employment should increase in Mississippi next year, led by an improved housing market and an increase in home construction. Forecasters discussed their outlook at a Tuesday conference held by the College Board in Jackson. Mississippi’s economy is predicted to grow 1.6 percent in 2013, compared to an expansion of [...]

A Memphis television station recently reported that The Dixie Café was selling Vietnamese farmed pangasius labeled as “catfish” and failed to properly identify the fish to consumers. Under federal law, only American channel catfish (ictalurus) may be sold as catfish. The FDA said it only physically inspects between one and two percent of fish imports, [...]

The sweet tea, sandwiches and spuds really are that good. McAlister’s Deli announced today its ninth consecutive quarter of positive comparable sales growth, according to a company statement. Third-quarter same-store sales at company-owned restaurants were up 6.9 percent and franchise restaurants were up 7 percent. According to a McAlister’s  spokeswoman, the growth is attributed to, [...]

In this column, Robert Shrum says sensible Republicans seeking to renew the viability of a conservative party that seems out of touch after a stinging defeat at the polls are being denounced as ‘heretics.’ Shrum says the party might never find its way back. Later in the piece, Shrum says … One of Limbaugh’s targets, [...]

As the superstorm Sandy emergency moves into the clean-up and recovery phase, some lessons – what went right and what went wrong – are already clear. See complete post here …

Economist-turned-Fox Business host Stuart Varney likes nothing more than poking an accusing finger at what most of the rest of us take as accepted truths. The conservative commentator who says he left England in 1974 to escape its class warfare” visited Jackson Tuesday to address the Mississippi Council on Economic Education. Of course, the question [...]

Mississippi country singer and “American Idol” Season 11 finalist Skylar Laine dropped by the Mississippi Business Journal newsroom yesterday to catch our readers and viewers up on her life after Idol. The Brandon native is finalizing plans for her first album (look for it next spring) and is continuing a search for a music label that [...]

It’s finally time to reclaim that hour of sleep you lost last spring. Most of the country will turn back the clocks this weekend for the annual shift back to standard time. The majority of folks will do the switch before hitting the sack Saturday night, even though the change doesn’t become official until 2 [...]

Haley Barbour knows a bit about hurricane recovery and working with the federal government to preserve lives and property after a storm, having led Mississippi’s rebuilding from the historic destruction of hurricane Katrina in 2005. So you can understand his irritation at criticism leveled at New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for his work with President [...]