Business memo 07/10/06

Business counseling sessions available

The Small Business Development Center of Southeast Missouri State University will conduct counseling sessions for area small-business people and those planning new business ventures. The counselor, Gil Degenhardt, will be available from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. July 19 at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, 1267 N. Mount Auburn Road. Call 335-3312 for an appointment. The hourlong sessions are free. Sessions will be available on from 10 a.m until 3 p.m. July 20 at the Southeast Regional Planning Commission, 1 W. St. Joseph St., in Perryville, Mo. Call (573) 547-8357 for an appointment.

U.S. factory orders rebound in May

Orders to U.S. factories for manufactured goods rebounded in May after a big decline the previous month as strengthened demand for petroleum and chemicals offset weakness in commercial aircraft and autos. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that new orders rose by 0.7 percent in May following a 2 percent plunge in April. The slight increase left orders at a seasonally adjusted $399.9 billion in May. The gain was significantly better than the 0.1 percent increase analysts had been expecting. The overall strength in May stemmed from a 1.6 percent rise in demand for nondurable products. It offset a 0.2 percent drop in demand for durable goods, which are big-ticket items expected to last three years or more. Analysts believe that manufacturing, a sector of the economy hardest hit by the 2001 recession, probably will slow in coming months along with the rest of the economy.

-- From staff, wire reports