Business Markets

Shipments to the United States jumped nearly 28 percent thanks to the free trade agreement, but weak sales to the other big markets such as China and the European Union clouded prospects, data published on Sunday showed.

The median forecast from a Reuters survey of 14 economists was for exports to expand by 0.7 percent in March from a year earlier. Forecasts ranged from a fall of 5.1 percent to a rise of 8.3 percent.

“Exports will remain weak at least through the second quarter, although there won’t be a collapsing pattern in exports because we see some signs of bottoming in the Chinese economy and in the euro-zone crisis,” said Lee Sang-jae, economist at Hyundai Securities.

Exports reached 47.36 billion in March while imports fell 1.2 percent to 45.03 billion, producing a surplus of 2.33 billion.

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A Government body to defend the interests of small businesses at cabinet level would bridge the ever-widening gap between politics and small business, according to The Federation of Small Businesses. The FSB has suggested Britain should follow in the footsteps of the US, who already have a similar system known as the Small Business Administration. The SBA have a minister defending SME’s from other government department’s harmful policies at cabinet level. The FSB believes a dedicated cabinet member could solve many of the problems small businesses are facing at the moment, such as finding finance and addressing procurement issues hampered by cashflow. John Walker, National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, believes SME’s deserve a cabinet member because of their importance in society and to the UK economy. He said, ‘The Chancellor has made clear that it is up to the private sector to drive economic recovery by creating jobs and growth. ‘The

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A new parking garage at Worcester Polytechnic Institute will include rooftop athletic fields for softball, soccer, field hockey and other sports.

The university plans to break ground on the $20 million, 534-car structure in May and open it in January 2013. It will cover the site of the existing softball and baseball fields and will feature a synthetic turf field, portable bleachers to accommodate up to 300 people, and field lighting.

WPI said the new garage will allow the campus to remove parking spaces from the quad and the West Street entrance.

The university said participation in athletics has risen to 60 percent of the student body in recent years. WPI is also opening a new sports and recreation center this summer.

LinkedIn is a rapidly evolving social media platform that appeals more directly to business people than do Facebook and Twitter; specifically, business-to-business (B2B) possibilities. You undoubtedly know that. Most of those folks want to be successful with LinkedIn promotion and generate new leads, business, or career opportunities. What you might not know is how exceptionally you can fail on LinkedIn as a busy entrepreneur or small business owner. Its easy! Just follow these 10 easy steps.

1. Leave Your Profile Summary Blank This is crucial to failing on LinkedIn. Lots of people want to turn up in People searches, but not a radical like you. Leave that Summary section blank since it is the key area that the LinkedIn search, and Google for that matter, index to learn about your worth. Who wants it?

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Two days of frost in parts of Michigan likely damaged fruit crops because of the early growing season prompted by unusually warm weather, an industry official said Tuesday.

Damage of peaches and cherries is expected in west central and northern Michigan from a Monday frost, said Ken Nye, horticulture and forestry specialist at the Michigan Farm Bureau, while damage from a Tuesday frost is projected in the eastern part of the state.

“Generally, everything is still too recent to really assess the damage,” Nye said in a Tuesday email.

Because of the unpredictability of the weather, it is unclear what effect the earlier growing season and freezes may have on crop prices for consumers.

Since the growing season has moved up a month, frost poses a threat to budding crops — especially fruit — through June, said Jeff Andresen, agricultural meteorology professor at Michigan State University and the state climatologist.

“The problem is that in many cases as those plants and crops come out of dormancy, they rapidly lose their resistance to cold temperatures,” Andresen said.

Michigan’s fruit and tree nut industry — made up mainly of apples, blueberries and tart cherries — generates $350 million a year in revenue, depending on price and yield, according to the Michigan Field Office of the U.S. Departm

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The return two weeks ago of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency raises more questions than answers.

First, but least important, was the election rigged? Probably, but it is also probable that Putin really is far more popular than any of the other candidates.

So is Putin the best option for Russia? He may have been the best on offer. There may be others who are morally superior, but the lesson of history is that a huge country like Russia needs a strong ruler, and no one at the moment is as strong as Putin. He may be no saint but he is tough enough to fight the many devils that plague his country.

How will his return to Russia’s top foreign policy post impact on the rest of the world? A more assertive Russia is bound to undermine the American hegemony, which has in any case been in decline in recent years. It may represent the beginning of a return to multi-power politics. I

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Business leaders in the West Midlands have welcomed the Chancellors decision to cut the top rate of income tax and corporation tax as a recipe for growth and job creation in the region.

Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group (BCCG) said the cut of the 50p income tax rate by 5p will in 2013 send all of the right signals to encourage investment and job creation in the UK and slow the drain of talent to other countries by ensuring UK plc remains internationally competitive.

Michael Ward, the BCCGs president, said: “The reduction of the top rate of tax is a bold measure to restore and protect UK plcs international competitiveness.

“Its a signal that the UK is indeed open for business putting us on an equal footing with Germany, France and other competitors for talent and foreign investment.

“We applaud the Chancellor for recognising the importance of entrepreneurs to the economy, and more importantly, for further incentivising businesses to grow and create the wealth and jobs which will keep the economy moving.

“The reduction of Corporate Tax to 24 per cent from next month will provide a shot in the arm for businesses and enable them to accelerate much-needed growth.

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