Business and Finance

Bill Montgomery has a substantial lead on Rick Romley in the Republican race for Maricopa County Attorney.

As of 9 p.m. Montgomery led Romley 50 percent to 38 percent. By 10 p.m. the Associated Press called the race for Montgomery.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is backing Montgomery and has run ads critical of Romley quick guaranteed personal loans. Montgomery's win is also seen as a victory for Arpaio.

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Rockville-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc., which supplies the government with the only regulator-approved vaccine for Anthrax, boosted its full-year forecast for sales and earnings based on rising sales of that vaccine.

The company now forecasts full-year revenue of between $275 million and $300 million, up from a forecast in May of between $235 million and $255 million. It expects 2010 net income of between $40 million and $50 million, compared to its previous forecast of between $20 million and $30 million.

As much as $190 million in 2010 revenue will come in the second half of the year, it says, after a contract modification that increases the number of doses of BioThrax the government will buy for its stockpile this year.

“We are extremely pleased with the results of our continuous process improvement program for BioThrax and expect this program to drive the maintenance of positive production metrics going forward,” said Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE: EBS) Chief Operating Officer Daniel Abdun-Nabi.

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Mortgage borrowers hurt by the Gulf oil spill may qualify for temporary relief from paying their mortgages, without fear of losing their homes.

Citigroup’s (C, Fortune 500) CitiMortgage unit announced Wednesday that it would suspend all foreclosure sales and filings for 90 days, through Sept. 17, on its Gulf properties. The policy applies only to first mortgages that Citi owns on homes that are within 25 miles of the coast.

Fannie Mae, the government-supported mortgage company, also touted its own relief policy Wednesday, saying that servicers of Fannie-backed loans may immediately suspend or lower payments on mortgages for borrowers whose income or property were affected by the spill.

"This was a reiteration of special relief policies that Fannie Mae has had for a while," said Janis Smith, a spokeswoman for Fannie.

"Borrowers who hope to obtain relief under this policy should call their servicers right away," Smith said. "They should not sit around waiting for a call."

Under the Fannie Mae program, servicers can offer to postpone or lower payments for up to 90 days, during which the servicer is expected to verify the borrower’s income loss or the damage the oil spill may have done to their property.

Freddie Mac, the other government-supported mortgage giant, will grant up to six months forbearance to victims of the oil spill.

Other lenders have similar policies in place; all of them are trying to get the word out so that borrowers hit by the disaster know that these options are available.

During these forbearance periods interest continues to accrue, so borrowers aren’t exactly getting a free lunch.

It is, however, an opportunity for these homeowners to avoid laying out cash when they can least afford to do so.

They’ll eventually have to pay the money back — if they keep their homes. 

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Most executives running global companies are willing to relocate for the right career opportunity, according to a survey by executive search firm Korn/Ferry International.

Overall, 82 percent of global executives from 65 countries said they would be willing to relocate to a different region, state or country for job purposes.

Career acceleration is the primary reason to move according to 78 percent of those surveyed. However, compensation wasn¹t necessarily the No. 1 factor.

Nearly half of those surveyed, 42 percent, said that quality of life in the new location, or salary, was the top motivator. Eighteen percent cited the reputation of the company as the primary motivator payday loans.

In the survey, the Bayou City was singled out as a prime location for executives to relocate to.

"Houston provides candidates opportunities to direct their career to a higher level in market that¹s held relatively steady during the recession," said Eric Nielsen, managing director of Korn/Ferry - Houston. "We are now experiencing strong hiring activity due to the global strength of the energy/natural resources sector and the Texas regional economy."

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Georgia Tech suspended four without pay after an internal audit revealed evidence of possible malfeasance including the misappropriation of university resources for the benefit of Sayana Wireless LLC, a company two Georgia Tech staffers own.

The suspended employees who co-own Sayana are Joy Laskar and Stephane Pinel. The other suspended staffers are Chris Evans and Amanda Scacchitti.

The total amount of the suspected malfeasance is under review, Georgia Tech said.

“The actions taken are an appropriate exercise of fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of the Institute and GEDC’s research sponsors,” said James Fetig, Georgia Tech spokesman, in a statement. “Georgia Tech is cooperating fully with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation which is conducting the investigation.”

GEDC’s research is focused on designing integrated circuits — the chips that make computers, cell phones and other electronic devices possible.

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Average Oahu hotel occupancy rose 6.8 percentage points year-over-year to 77.7 percent for the week ending March 27, the highest rate among the major Hawaiian Islands.

At the same time, Oahu’s hotel room rates fell 1.1 percent to $153.39.

Statewide, room occupancy was up 4 percentage points to 71.7 percent, while room rates slid 5.4 percent to $177.37.

Occupancy and room rates for other Hawaii islands were as follows:

• Maui’s average occupancy rose 5.8 percentage points to 74.2 percent, while room rates plunged 9.3 percent to $230.69;

• Kauai occupancy was down 0.8 percentage points to 58.2 percent, while room rates dropped 8.7 percent to $191.42; and

• Big Island occupancy fell 5.1 percentage points to 55.4 percent, while room rates declined 7.5 percent to $166.66.

Nationwide hotel room occupancy inched up 3.3 percentage points to 59.9 percent, while room rates were off 1.6 percent to average $98.29 a night.

The weekly Hawaii hotel industry snapshot, based on a daily hotel survey of approximately 100 properties, is conducted by Smith Travel Research and Hospitality Advisors.

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The crash of a Toyota Prius in New York caught the attention of federal regulators Wednesday after the driver said it accelerated on its own, then lurched down a driveway, across a road and into a stone wall.

The Department of Transportation is looking into the New York crash, spokeswoman Olivia Alair said Wednesday.

Capt. Anthony Marraccini of the police department in Harrison, north of New York City, said a Toyota official asked to collect the Prius involved in the crash but that the police are "not prepared to release it just yet." He said he wanted to see first if a federal agency wants to join or take over the investigation.

When police release the Prius, Toyota will evaluate it to determine the cause of the accident, company spokesman Brian Lyons said.

The 2005 model was taken to a police parking lot. Its front end was severely pushed in, the hood was buckled and the front bumper and one front headlight were broken.

Police believe the vehicle was on Toyota’s recall list for the sticky accelerator problem, but they had no immediate proof that this one had the problem, Marraccini said free credit report and score. The vehicle had been serviced by Toyota for the floor mat problem, he said.

The driver, a 56-year-old housekeeper, was going forward in the car on Tuesday, down a curving driveway several hundred feet long, when the accident happened, he said.

He said police did not yet know how fast the car was going.

The captain said police would consider the possibility that the driver, who was not identified, was at fault. But he added, "There’s nothing at this particular time that would indicate driver error."

The air bags deployed when the car hit the stone wall across the street. Broken glass, plastic headlight pieces and metal that looked like part of a window frame were nearby.

On Monday, California police stopped a runaway 2008 Prius going nearly 95 mph after the driver said the pedal jammed. Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are investigating.

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Sri Lanka’s central bank Governor Nivard Cabraal kept benchmark interest rates unchanged at a five-year low to spur investments and aid economic growth after the end of a 26-year civil war.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka left the reverse repurchase rate at 9.75 percent, the Colombo-based bank said. The repurchase rate was also maintained at 7.5 percent. The economy will expand more than 6 percent this year, Cabraal said in a Bloomberg Television interview today.

“The rate is sufficient to stimulate growth as well as ensure that any risk of inflation is also curtailed,” Cabraal said. “We need not have any fear” of inflation now, he said.

The island’s biggest companies including John Keells Holdings Plc and Aitken Spence & Co. are expanding their hotel and shipping businesses to take advantage of a rebound in the $41 billion economy. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is holding an election two years before his mandate expires after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels in May helped push growth above 4 percent in the third quarter.

“Growth will likely take off, especially in the second half of the year, with rates and inflation still low,” said Bimanee Meepagala, an analyst at NDB Aviva Wealth Management Ltd., the nation’s biggest non-state fund.

The benchmark stock index rose 0.1 percent at 9:35 a.m. in Colombo. The Sri Lankan rupee traded at 114.15 to the dollar compared with 114.26 yesterday, according to Bloomberg data.

Close Election

“Markets, especially equities, are waiting for direction after the election, Meepagala said. “The rate decision was mostly expected. There will be some volatility leading up to the elections as it’s expected to be a very close race.”

Sri Lanka’s benchmark stock index, the Colombo All-Share Index, jumped 125 percent last year, outperforming the rest of Asia and trailing only Russia worldwide, on prospects of an economic rebound in the Indian Ocean island.

The country’s inflation rate was 4.8 percent in December, less than half that in January 2009. Today’s rate decision took into consideration a potential pickup in inflation, Cabraal said in the interview before the central bank policy statement.

“Projections of inflation for 2010 indicate benign inflationary pressures, enabling inflation to be in single digits by year end,” the central bank said in the statement.

Faster Growth

The economy may grow 7 percent in 2010, the fastest pace in four years, spurred by company investments and construction of new roads, ports and power plants, Cabraal said Jan. 4.

“The central bank wants loan books to grow and money to flow into the economy,” Saminda Weerasinghe, research manager at Acuity Stockbrokers Pvt. in Colombo, said before the report. “Inflation pressures aren’t that great.”

John Keells, Sri Lanka’s biggest diversified company, said in November it will invest about $100 million to build new resorts to benefit from a tourism revival after the war.

Aitken Spence, Sri Lanka’s biggest operator of resorts, plans to expand its hotel and shipping businesses while Commercial Bank of Ceylon Plc, the nation’s biggest private lender by assets, aims to extend more loans in the northern and eastern regions, which were recaptured from the Tamil Tigers.

Rajapaksa scheduled presidential elections to be held on Jan. 26, betting the economy’s recovery will boost his popularity.

Cabraal has kept interest rates unchanged for two straight months. He lowered the central bank’s reverse repurchase rate by 75 basis points and the repurchase rate by 50 basis points in November. A basis point is 0.01 of a percentage point.

“We have seen a sharp increase in lending during the past month which indicates to us there is stimulation taking place,” Cabraal said. “If we find there is a bubble being formed or too much liquidity being created, then we would think it’s time for us to increase the rates. But we haven’t seen any such danger right now.”

The International Monetary Fund, which granted Sri Lanka a $2.6 billion aid package in July, expects the island’s economic growth and credit demand to pick up.

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Retailers placed a lot of hope on the Thanksgiving weekend gift buying this year, but merchants failed to get the big sales boost they were seeking.

According to monthly same-store tracker Thomson Reuters, overall sales rose just 0.5% last month versus its forecast for a 2.1% increase. The figure does not include leading retailer Wal-Mart Stores (WMT, Fortune 500), which reports sales on a quarterly basis.

The firm tracks same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, for such large national chains as J.C. Penney (JCP, Fortune 500), Macy’s, Target (TGT, Fortune 500) and Gap (GPS, Fortune 500).

Still, the marginal increase is an improvement over last year’s steep 7.8% decline in November.

"The fundamentals for many Americans are still weak," said Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics with Moody’s Economy.com.

"Unemployment is more than 10%, wages are not growing, the effects of the stimulus measure designed to boost spending have worn out and no more are coming," he said.

Among these factors, the biggest overhang on consumer spending is the job market, Hoyt said. "Consumer spending will turn when the job market improves," he said.

Some specialty sellers were hit especially hard. Among them same-store sales at teen clothing chain Hot Topic fell 11.7%. last month. Analysts had expected a decline of 8.1%, according to sales tracker Thomson Reuters.

Children’s Place, a seller of clothing and accessories for young kids, suffered a 13% drop in its same-store sales versus expectations for a 1% increase.

Sales at another youth merchandise chain Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) slumped 17%

Elsewhere, total sales at No. 1 warehouse club operator Costco (COST, Fortune 500) rose 6% compared to a forecast for an increase of 8.1%. Target, the No payday loans with no fax. 2 discounter after Wal-Mart, said its sales declined 1.5%.

"Sales were slightly below our expectations as softer results in the first three weeks of the month were substantially offset by better-than-expected sales during our post-Thanksgiving Two-Day sale," Gregg Steinhafel, CEO of Target Corporation, said in a statement.

"For the month overall, comparable store transactions were positive and inventories remain well-controlled, giving us confidence in our ability to perform well during the holiday season in what continues to be a challenging economic environment," he said.

Sales at department store chain J.C. Penney declined 5.9%, which the company said was in line with its expectations of a decline between 4% to 7% while sales at Macy’s fell 6.1%.

But there were a few bright spots. Limited Brands, parent of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works chains, increased its same-store sales by 3% in November and high-end seller Nordstrom logged a 2.2% gain in its sales last month.

November is a critical month for retailers since it marks the start of the year-end holiday shopping season, typically on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

November and December together can account for 50% or more of merchants’ annual sales and profits for the full year.

Although many Americans have had a year to absorb shocks to the economy and to their own household budgets, industry watchers say continued job losses and stagnant income growth are forcing most consumers to keep shopping with extreme caution.

Given that context, the National Retail Federation (NRF) expects holiday sales to decline 1% this year, a improvement from last year’s 3.4% drop in sales for the season. 

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Dubai World’s debt problems are a wake-up call that the economic recovery is still fragile and that there are still risks, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurria told Reuters.

Gurria said the incident had reminded markets of growing debt concerns, something that should prompt governments to be cautious in withdrawing from large stimulus measures to boost growth after the worst global recession in decades.

Dubai spooked financial markets last week when it said two flagship firms, Dubai World and its Nakheel unit, planned to delay repaying billions of dollars in debts.

Dubai World “is a reminder of the fragility of the recovery process and that fact that it is still in its infancy and that there are still downside risks,” Gurria told Reuters during a summit of Ibero-American leaders in Portugal. “It’s a property development gone bad, but a big one.”

He said governments should “keep their guard up,” and err on the side of caution when deciding to cut stimulus packages.

“It’s better to stay a little longer than to withdraw too early,” Gurria said. “There is now also this parallel concern that debt is accumulating at a very fast speed and that obviously is a problem because markets are also getting very tense about that.”

Dubai has alerted markets to those risks in recent days as have growing budget deficits in some countries, such as Greece which saw a widening of its bond spreads last week.

Gurria said the downturn was taking its toll on balance sheets.

“So you are having a lot of pressure on many balance sheets because of market related portfolios, that are not subprime, they weren’t wrong in the beginning, but they are getting sour because of the economic situation in general,” he said.

Gurria also warned of the growing risks of the so-called carry trade, whereby investors borrow funds in a currency with low interest rates or countries such as the United States to finance investments in countries with higher-yielding assets like China, driving prices higher.

“There is a danger of creating a bubble, because if you have a very large flow into a relatively stable number of assets you create inflation in the prices that is not consistent with the real change in value of the assets,” he said.

He said assets such as Chinese stocks had risen much more than many other markets because of this process.

“You can create artificially high prices which can then with one piece of bad news or one movement in the exchange rate or interest rates suddenly burst, and that is when you have a disorderly adjustment,” Gurria said.

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