Business

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, November 12, 2009 Business Briefly: Foreclosures are stabilizing in much of U.S. The number of homeowners on the brink of losing their homes dipped in October, the third straight monthly decline, as foreclosure prevention programs helped more borrowers. But foreclosure filings are still up 19 percent from a year ago, RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday, and rising job losses continue to threaten the stabilizing trend. More than 332,000 households, or one in every 385 homes, received a foreclosure-related notice in October, such as a notice of default or trustee’s sale. That’s down 3 percent from September. In Snohomish County, 4,302 properties received such notices, up from 3,491 in September, RealtyTrac reported. Wal-Mart to open 24-7 over Thanksgiving weekend Wal-Mart Stores says it will keep its stores open 24 hours and take new crowd-control measures Thanksgiving weekend after a temporary employee was trampled to death in a Black Friday rush last year. The world’s largest retailer says day-after-Thanksgiving sales will begin at 5 a.m. Nov. 27, but most U.S. stores will be open 24 hours to prevent a mad dash. The announcement doesn’t affect most of Wal-Mart’s Supercenters, which are already open 24 hours. Federal safety regulators cited Wal-Mart for inadequate crowd management after the Nov. 28, 2008, death of a temporary employee at a Long Island, N.Y., store. A crowd of shoppers broke down the store’s doors, trapping the employee, who died of asphyxiation. Emirates airline may buy more A380s Emirates airline, the biggest buyer of the superjumbo Airbus A380, said Wednesday it is considering increasing its order for the double-decker plane despite delays on existing orders. Speaking ahead of next week’s Dubai Air Show, Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told reporters the Dubai-based carrier is looking to boost its commitment beyond the 58 it has already requested — the most booked by any airline. A fresh commitment from Emirates could be a boon for Boeing-rival Airbus. Export slump eases for China The slump in China’s exports eased last month and several other key indicators showed improvement Wednesday, fresh evidence that recovery in the world’s third-largest economy was firmly on track. Exports fell 13.8 percent in October to $110.8 billion from the same month last year, the smallest decrease in 10 months, according to government figures released Wednesday. Imports dropped by 6.4 percent to $86.8 billion over the same period, a slightly faster pace than in September. Industrial output and retail sales also rose sharply over the previous year, further signs that sluggish growth might be picking up. Meanwhile, the key Chinese inflation rate, known as the consumer price index, was down 0.5 percent in October from the same month last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. From Herald news services READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. 5 die of swine flu in Snohomish County 2. Driver charged in deaths of 4 3. Red Cross honors acts of heroism, many by ordinary people 4. Barista clothing rules delayed by County Council 5. Haugen's husband accused of sexual assault in civil suit 6. Ruskell steps down as Seahawks GM 7. Three people hurt in Everett house fire 8. Steelhead anglers finding mixed results 9. Airbus wins order for 52 single-aisle jets 10. Silvertips hammered 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

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