Retail Sales Point to Improving Economy; Few Americans Check ...

More evidence of an improving economy this morning with the release of U.S. retail sales numbers showing a seasonally adjusted rise of three-tenths percent in November. NEWS 92 FM Business Editor Brent Clanton has more:

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Strong demand for autos and a variety of other goods were the drivers.

The Commerce Department says sales were flat, excluding cars, as sharply lower purchases of gasoline offset increased sales of other retail goods.

Study: Only 1 in 5 Americans Check Their Credit

If you delay paying even one of your credit card bills, it could be a big dent in your credit score.

There?s a new government study showing how to avoid that problem, and take better control of our own credit.

Consumer Financial Protection bureau director Rich Cordray says just one in five Americans ever check their credit rating and that could eventually mean no credit.

?Blocking them from borrowing money for larger purchase or causing them to pay a higher interest rate than they should,? Cordray said.

?The government watchdog agency says even one persistently late payment can cripple your credit score and everyone should check at least yearly to see if their report?s accurate.?

Sprint Nextel to Buy More Clearwire

Sprint Nextel wants to buy the 49-percent of Clearwire that it doesn?t already own for $2.1 billion.

Sprint uses Clearwire?s network to provide Sprint 4-G, but it?s building its own 4-G network at the same time, and would like to see Clearwire upgrade its network to use a compatible technology.?The deal works out to $2.90 per share.

Few CEOs Expect to Decrease Hiring

A new survey of top CEOs finds fewer of them expect to decrease hiring in the next six months.

The Business Roundtable says 29 percent of its member CEOs plan to boost hiring in the next two quarters, the same as when they were asked in September.

CEO expectations for hiring over the next six months are roughly neutral, which represents slight improvement from the expected decrease reported last quarter.

Jim McNerney, Chairman of Business Roundtable and Chairman, President and CEO of the Boeing Company, says the numbers are holding steady.

Cyberstalking Bill Seeks to Stent ?Cheating? Apps, Others

For around $50, you can download software that can continuously track the whereabouts of a suspected un-faithful spouse better than any private detective. But, it soon might be illegal.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected today to approve legislation closing a legal loophole allowing cyber-stalking apps to operate secretly on a cellphone and transmit your location information without your knowledge.

The bill, sponsored by Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., would update laws passed years before wireless technology revolutionized communications, called a common-sense step to curb stalking and domestic violence by weakening a tool that gives one person power over another.

Houston Telecom Industry Growing

Houston?s telecom sector is expanding, as Alpheus Communications acquires Net Star Telecommunications, and Comcast expands its business-grade fiber network to include more businesses.

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Source: http://news92fm.com/308561/retail-sales-point-to-improving-economy-few-americans-check-their-credit/

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