Postal Service to Adjust Prices

/PRNewswire/ -- The first U.S. Postal Service price change in two years will have minimal impact on retail customers who will continue to pay only 44 cents for a stamp.

The prices filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission today will become effective April 17.

Highlights of the pricing proposal include:

* First-Class letters (1 oz.) remain unchanged at 44 cents,
* First-Class letter additional ounces increase to 20 cents,
* Postcards will cost 29 cents,
* Letters to Canada or Mexico (1 oz.) increase to 80 cents, and
* Letters to other international destinations will remain unchanged at 98 cents.


"While changing prices is always a difficult decision, we have made every effort to keep the impact minimal for consumers and customers doing business with us at retail lobbies," said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe. "We will continue to balance our business needs against the needs of our customers."

The overall average increase across all mailing services is capped by law at 1.7 percent – at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index – although actual percentage price increases for various products and services will vary.

Prices will change for other mailing services, including Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services and Extra Services. Larger volume business mailers will see price increases in a variety of categories. Detailed pricing information will be available later today online at www.usps.com/prices . Today's announcement does not affect Express Mail and Priority Mail prices.

In July 2010, the Postal Service filed an exigent price proposal that was rejected by the Postal Regulatory Commission in September. The Postal Service filed an appeal of that decision with the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in November and awaits a decision.

Faced with decreased mail volume traced to the recession and increased use of the Internet, the Postal Service continues to face a daunting financial crisis. Increasing prices is one of a series of solutions the Postal Service proposed in March 2010 to address the crisis. Other actions outlined in the March plan included changes to delivery frequency, restructuring prepayments of future retiree health benefits, creating a more flexible workforce and expanding access to products and services to places more convenient to customers. In December, Donahoe began a reorganization of all administrative and managerial functions as part of his vision to operate "leaner, faster and smarter."

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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32 Percent of U.S. Businesses Plan to Hire Additional Staff in 2011

/PRNewswire/ -- Businesses across the globe are now looking to hire new staff, in one of the first signs that global economic recovery and growth is on a sustainable upward trajectory. This is the key finding of the bi-annual Regus Business Tracker survey that interviews more than 10,000 businesses around the world. The fact that companies are looking to hire additional staff will be regarded as a significant indicator that the mindset of organizations has shifted toward investment in growth through human capital. Regus, a global provider of flexible workplace solutions, found that more than a third of companies [36 percent net(1)] surveyed said they intend to increase headcount. U.S. business was close to the global average with almost a third (32 percent net) of companies preparing to add new staff in 2011.

These findings are particularly significant, coming in the wake of recent observations from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and International Labour Organization (ILO) that global unemployment has reached record proportions in the last three years (up to 210 million since 2007). These organizations have warned about potential problems for national economies if this trend continues. Unemployment reduces national taxation income and increases public spending. The findings of the Regus Business Tracker provide important evidence that the world unemployment situation may be set to ease in 2011.

The survey canvassed the opinions of more than 10,000 senior business people in 78 countries asking them about their current revenue performance, their profitability, their projected future revenues and their wider expectations of national economic growth. These indicators form the basis for the report's Business Optimism Index, which unusually reflects actual performance as well as near-term outlook. Globally, this edition of the index revealed a far more positive outlook, with a greater proportion of optimist countries than six months ago. For the U.S. in particular, the global index revealed a bullish rating of 87, up seven points on six months ago.

Sande Golgart, regional vice president for Regus, comments: "The intention to increase headcount is a clear indicator that businesses want to be prepared to grasp the opportunities that recovering markets may throw their way. The U.S. in particular is still suffering from high unemployment levels, at 9.6 percent, although private sector payroll continues to increase slightly and this finding should be taken as a positive indication for employment.(2)"

"In spite of this optimism, our research also highlights that 41 percent of companies are still looking to reduce their overhead, through means other than reducing staff. This reveals an attitude of cautious optimism. As companies look to find economies in their own operations, we are likely to see more and more organizations offering flexible working practices to their existing or prospective employees in a bid to achieve a better work-life balance and run a leaner organization."

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U.S. Economy Distancing Itself from Great Recession - BMO Economics

/PRNewswire/ -- U.S. real GDP rose a much stronger-than-expected 5.7 per cent annualized in Q4, building on a modest 2.2 per cent advance in Q3, and a far cry from the 5.4 per cent slide of a year ago.

"The advance in exports, personal consumption and business capital spending points to some positive momentum in the economy," said Sal Guatieri, Senior Economist, BMO Capital Markets. "First-quarter GDP growth should top 3 per cent, further distancing the economy from the Great Recession, and encouraging firms to resume hiring."

More than half of the quarterly increase reflected inventory rebuilding, with an assist from net exports. Exports soared 18.1 per cent, even topping the prior quarter's sharp gain, amid support from an upswing in global demand and a weak dollar. Final sales (GDP ex-inventories) strengthened to 2.2 per cent, though final domestic demand weakened a bit to 1.7 per cent. The latter reflected a moderation in consumer spending (2.0 per cent), after the cash-for-clunkers auto program boosted sales in Q3. However, the underlying rate of consumer spending, though still soft, looks to have picked up.

Government spending was also weak due to ongoing retrenchment at the state level and a pullback in defense spending. Non-residential construction remained in the dumps, sliding 15.4 per cent. The main upward surprise in the report came from a 13.3 per cent surge in business equipment spending, the fastest in nearly four years. Recent strength in capital goods orders, coupled with the President's proposal to provide investment tax credits, point to ongoing strength ahead. Residential construction also advanced further in Q4, despite a recent pullback in housing starts.

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The Coca-Cola Company Increases Annual Dividend by 8 Percent; 47th Consecutive Annual Increase

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company today approved the Company's 47th consecutive annual dividend increase, raising the quarterly dividend approximately 8 percent from 38 cents to 41 cents per common share. This is equivalent to an annual dividend of $1.64 per share, up from $1.52 per share in 2008. The dividend is payable April 1, 2009, to shareowners of record as of March 15, 2009.

The increase reflects the Board's confidence in the Company's long-term cash flow. The Company returned $4.6 billion to shareowners in 2008, through $3.5 billion in dividends and $1.1 billion in share repurchases. In the past five years, the Company's dividends have grown at a compound annual rate of more than 10 percent.

The Board also elected Javier Goizueta as vice president of the Company. Earlier this month, he was named president of The McDonald’s Division. In this role, he will be responsible for building and strengthening the Company’s strategic alliance with McDonald’s in 118 countries and over 31,000 restaurants. Mr. Goizueta succeeds Jerry Wilson, who was recently named the Company’s chief customer and commercial officer.

Since joining the Company in 2001, Mr. Goizueta has served as vice president, USA within The McDonald’s Division, vice president, Global Still Beverages Operations and Commercialization, and vice president, Global New Business Models. Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, he spent 20 years with Procter & Gamble, 10 years in their U.S. Operations and 10 years in Latin America. Trilingual in Spanish, English and Portuguese, Mr. Goizueta received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Auburn University.

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FedEx Ground to Increase 2009 Rates by 5.9 Percent

(BUSINESS WIRE)--FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) will increase the standard list rates for FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery by an average of 5.9 percent. The new rates will be effective Jan. 5, 2009.

FedEx Corp. previously announced that it would increase shipping rates for FedEx Express by an average of 6.9 percent for U.S. and U.S. export services, also effective Jan. 5, 2009.

The FedEx Express rate increase will be partially offset by adjusting the fuel price at which the fuel surcharge begins, reducing the fuel surcharge by two percentage points. Currently, FedEx Express has a trigger price of $1.14 per gallon of U.S. Gulf Coast kerosene-type jet fuel. Beginning Jan. 5, 2009, the trigger price will be $1.30 per gallon.

Additional changes will be made to other FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery surcharges and to some FedEx Express surcharges effective Jan. 5, 2009. The details of these surcharges and the new rates are available at http://www.fedex.com/us/2009rates.

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UPS Sets 2009 Rates

(BUSINESS WIRE)--UPS (NYSE:UPS) today (October 17, 2008) released new list rates for 2009, including an average increase of 5.9 percent for UPS Ground packages and an average net increase of 4.9 percent on all air express and U.S. origin International shipments.

UPS Freight announced a general rate increase of 5.9% for 2009.

The rate increase for air express and international shipments is based on a 6.9 percent increase in the base rate, less a 2 percent reduction in the air and international fuel surcharge index.

The new rates will take effect on Jan. 5, 2009.

Updated rate and service information will be posted on ups.com/rates beginning Oct. 24, 2008. On Dec. 18, customers can download the 2009 Rate and Service Guide on the site.

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Small Business Size: Inflation Adjustment to Size Standards

24-7 — Online Representations and Certifications Application also referred to as (ORCA) has globally updated records to meet inflation. For those that are registered in (ORCA) will see an email from the Administrator "This note is to inform you that (ORCA) was upgraded on August 18, 2008." This requires no additional effort on your part but you should be aware of this change if you are doing business in the Federal Marketplace.

Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration has issued a final rule that adjusts monetary-based small business size standards for inflation. The rule finalizes the Agency's December 6, 2005 interim final rule that also amended monetary-based small business size standards for inflation. However, this rule adds an additional 8.7 percent to the inflation-adjusted size standards of the December 2005 interim final rule. This additional 8.7 percent accounts for inflation that has occurred since then. This rule also adopts the interim final rule's two-step process for determining eligibility for SBA's Business Loan and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Programs. Furthermore, the rule adopts the revised date that SBA uses to determine size status for purposes of EIDL applications for businesses located in declared disaster areas as a result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective on August 18, 2008.

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American Capital Partners Ltd Announces that Upstream Petroleum Corporation Increases Oil Production

BUSINESS WIRE--American Capital Partners Limited, Inc. (Pink Sheets:APRJ) announces that Upstream Petroleum Corporation, an oil and gas exploration and production company with producing properties in Louisiana, has begun producing oil from its newly acquired Homestead B Lease, and will complete the final stages of a re-work program to bring it to full capacity.

Presently, the Homestead B lease is operating at a 50% capacity with 4 oil producing wells online. By the end of July, Upstream will finish the final stages of the program and have 8 wells running and pumping oil on the Homestead Lease. With the new oil producing wells online, Upstream will more than double its oil production capacity in its Louisiana properties and see a increase in its gross profits of over 100%. “This development will move the company closer to its goal of being a premier oil and gas company with an eye on orphaned domestic leases and offshore exploratory leases in Central America," says Joseph Kump, President of Upstream Petroleum Corporation. Upstream continues to seek out and negotiate the acquisition of these orphaned domestic leases that need a minimum of capital upgrade and that provide steady growing income.