Treasuries rose for a fourth day as global equities slumped after Japanese trade figures fell short of economists’ forecasts, reinforcing concern that Europe’s debt crisis and a slowdown in China are damping global growth. more

PROVIDENCE – Calling for a system that acts as a “dynamic catalyst for new ideas,” a group of economic-development and public-policy officials want an aggressive overhaul of Rhode Island’s infrastructure that would eliminate the R.I. Economic Development Corporation. more

The Rhode Island Current Economic Indicator for the second quarter of 2012 grew 0.4 percent, indicating that the Ocean State’s economic growth has slowed significantly in the first half of 2012, according to a report by Bryant University and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council. more

Retail sales in the U.S. rose more than forecast in July as consumer spending rebounded at department stores, auto dealers and electronics outlets, easing some concern the biggest part of the economy was foundering. more

Downcity’s Westminster Street is a virtual smorgasbord of boutique shops with unique clothing, craft, and coffee shops lining a path from Empire Street to near Kennedy Plaza. more

One of the most important goals that former R.I. Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Keith W. Stokes set when he took the job in early 2010 was the need to measure the results that the state’s various economic-development programs were producing. The lack of any such controls was exposed by a two-part series in Providence Business News in June 2010 that documented how little the state knew about the companies it had supported through the federally funded Small Business Loan Fund and its related microloan fund. Despite federal reporting requirements, the state had no idea how many jobs the recipient companies currently had. In addition, the failure rate of the loans was double that of similar commercial loans made by banks. more

The recent event hosted by Rep. James R. Langevin, D-R.I., and the Rhode Island Small Business Development Center on June 25 at the Johnson & Wales University Culinary Arts Museum to help small businesses was an excellent effort to highlight and spur the development of new, innovative business ideas. more

Just as the collapse of 38 Studios LLC illustrated the importance of keeping close tabs on taxpayer-backed loans, the bankruptcy also marked the demise of a two-year effort to improve how all R.I. Economic Development Corporation investments are monitored and analyzed. more

Following a drop of 1.9 percent in June, an index of America’s leading economic indicators gained 1 percent in July. more

The number of Americans filing applications for unemployment benefits rose less than forecast last week as annual auto shutdowns continued to influence the number. more