Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 6.25.14

32 | JUNE 25, 2014 ECONOMIC BRIEFING
announced this week that he will be leading an
BUSINESS MONTHLY FLATHEADBEACON.COM ECONOMIC INDICATORS
Bullock Announces Trade ission to China
M
ONTANA GOV. STEVE BULLOCK
UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES BY STATES (MAY) 10TH LOWEST: Montana 4.6%
LOWEST:
N. Dakota 2.6% NATIONAL AVERAGE
AVERAGE GAS PRICES BY STATE
eight-day trade mission to China in the fall.
The mission will bring together leaders in business, education, and government to focus on creating export op- portunities for Montana businesses as well as deepening the long-term relationship between Montana’s and China’s economies. The mission will take place Sept. 21-29 and in- clude stops in Beijing, Shanghai, and Montana’s sister-state,
Guangxi.
“This trade mission will build ties between Montana
businesses and Chinese companies and investors, and ex- pand opportunities for education and cultural exchanges,” said Bullock. “There is enormous potential to make an im- mediate and substantial impact to Montana’s economy by expanding our trade with China.”
U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus was pleased to hear of the Governor’s trip. Ambassador Baucus formerly represented Montana as a U.S. Senator and since beginning his ambassadorial assignment, Baucus has been focused on sustaining and growing the U.S.-China economic relation- ship.
“I was excited to learn that Governor Bullock will be leading a trade delegation to China,” said Baucus. “Expand- ing trade to China is a huge priority for me and my team at the U.S. Embassy, and we look forward to supporting the delegation as they help Montana businesses expand their opportunities in China.”
China is the world’s second largest trading nation behind the United States. China is one of Montana’s fastest growing markets for exports and is currently Montana’s third largest trading partner. Montana exports to China have increased almost tenfold in the last decade with $101 million of com- modity goods sold to China in 2013.
With more than 95 percent of the world’s population and 80 percent of the world’s purchasing power outside the United States, future economic growth and jobs in Montana increasingly depend on expanding international trade and investment opportunities.
“We are committed to helping Montana businesses pur- sue commercial opportunities abroad, and we are proac- tively working to increase our overall competitiveness in the global marketplace,” said Meg O’Leary, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce.
The mission is being organized by the State of Mon- tana in collaboration with the U.S. Commercial Service and U.S. Department of State. Participating businesses will have the opportunity to take advantage of trade facilitation services provided by the U.S. Commercial Service, which are designed to connect businesses with top-level Chinese corporate and government leaders in one-on-one business meetings. A full list of participating businesses will be an- nounced mid-summer.
HIGHESTHAWAII LOWEST S. CAROLINA MONTANA (10TH LOWEST)
$ 3 . 3 9
$ 3 . 5 9 /gal.
6.3% 2013 SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry 2014
11,622 13,026
10,000 15000
12,424 13,889
10,000 15,000
SOURCE: Montana Department of Transportation
MONTANA EMPLOYMENT CHANGE BY INDUSTRY (MAY)
-1.1% 2013 2014
Natural Resources and Mining
Construction -1.7% 0 Manufacturing +0.5%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 0%
Information +1.4%
20,000
Financial Activities
Professional & Business Services
Education & Health Services
Leisure & Hospitality
Other Services
Government -0.6%
Figures do not include self-employed or agricultural employment. In total, Montana’s non- agricultural, seasonally adjusted payroll decreased by 200 jobs in May.
SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry
HIGHEST UNEMPLOYMENT RATES BY MONTANA COUNTIES (MAY)
HOUSING STATISTICS
IN FLATHEAD COUNTY (MAY)
Lincoln 10.6% Big Horn 9.5% Sanders 8.9% Glacier 8.9% Granite 7.5% Mineral 6.5% Broadwater 6.0% Flathead 5.6%
DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE NASDAQ
S & P 500
PLUM CREEK (PCL)
+1.8% 16,915.77
+4.3% 4,367.22
+3.2% 1,961.56
+2.2% 44.64
+14% 22.85
+6.2% 27.94
+8.4% 50.77
Lake
Ravalli
0%
5.6% 5.5%
APPLIED MATERIAL (AMAT) GLACIER BANK (GBCI) NORTHWESTERN ENERGY (NWE) CENTURYLINK (CTL)
5%
10%
SOURCE: Montana Department of Labor & Industry
-1.8% 36.60
Month in Stocks: Listed in trading price on Monday, June 23 and percent change from closing on May 23.
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HIGHEST:
/gal. SOURCE: GasBuddy.com
Rhode Island 8.6%
-1.7% +0.5% +0.1% +0.2% +3.2%
2011 2012 2013 2014
15% 20%
0
5,000 ARRIVALS
5,000
20,000
$ 4.3 2 /gal.
GLACIER PARK INT'L AIRPORT STATS (MAY) DEPARTURES
Residential Sales Residential Land Sales Notices of Trustee Sales
85 128
16 128
105 53
157 148
74 53
35 21
MONTH IN STOCKS
SOURCE: Jim Kelley at Kelley Appraisal in Kalispell