Business

EUGENE, ORE. – Looking at the Loveland, it’s easy to imagine lazing away a summer afternoon on an old-fashioned porch swing. The congenial covered porch spans the front and wraps quite a ways around the left side. Half-round windows nestled under the garage gable and two dormer gables add to the home’s welcoming appearance.

Our region’s weather can be challenging, especially during the winter. And it is not just snow and wind that can damage property. As we saw last week, large fires on Cole Street outside Lima and in the village of Continental’s downtown can be especially dangerous when the weather is cold.

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measures eased in November while consumer spending stagnated, suggesting the central bank’s interest-rate hikes are helping to cool both price pressures and broader demand — with more tightening on the way.

A new year’s worth of investing begins in one week. Anyone can make predictions, but long-term investors know it’s not prophecy that leads to profits.

Some people hold true to the time-honored tradition of making New Year’s resolutions. Typical topics include exercise, diet and financial health. Getting our legal affairs in order is a resolution worthy of serious consideration.

EUGENE, ORE. – The Lawrence is a small home, measuring in at just over 1,400 square feet. Intriguing roof lines and a covered porch give it a nostalgic charm, but the interior layout is totally contemporary. It even has three bathrooms. The plan’s narrow footprint allows it to fit comfortably on a small lot.

If you feel you have more to complain about these days, you may be right.

NEW YORK — For all the ink spilled over its horrors, the 2022 stock market will go into the books as an undistinguished one in the history of bad years. For traders who lived through it, though, certain things have made it feel worse than top-line alone numbers justify, a potential impediment to a quick recovery.

Buying a plot of land in rural America has never been so expensive. And that’s even with soaring interest rates.

There are the numbers, and then there are the expectations for the numbers. The difference between the two is where investors dare to tread and where the Federal Reserve hopes to flex its muscle.