OCR Text |
Show - Tilt nU I HI RU ir IWv luh. Sunday July M. 11? Cost of living LdDTCIT along Wasatch JOHN McCLAIN Front climbs By : D. AvmvuwJ Picm. i SALT LAKE CITY AP The cost of living along Wasatch Front climbed for the filh consecutive month in iiorlgag rates W met WASHINGTON Housing starts rebounded in June as favorable mortgage rates and job and income growth renew ed builders confidence in connt rise was below the monthlsumer demand. y m rvases for the first half of Many analysts expect the he ear. housing market to level ofT or Lust Security Bank econoperhaps slip slightly later this mist Kelly K. Matthews, who year as pent-udemand co!v, iles the monthly index, becomes satisfied in an econone of the sending cate-gnomic expansion now in its seve last month moved up or enth war. f down by more than of But, they added, builders (wjxvnl. will remain busy this summer 1 he lival rise was also below rebuilding e inventoi) e 0.1 national ries that represented in May a percent iv.iu e in consumer prices in supply of 4.1 months at that month's sales rate, smallest in Sine." First Security began 26 years. ticking local costs in March "It's steady as she goes for the cost of living along the rest of the summer," conthe Wasatch Front has tended economist David Lereah hn-- eased 34.2 percent. of the Mortgage Bankers oca! cost increases in June fcr luahh care and groceries elTst t declines in clothing and transportation. ' Fwl prices increased 0.5 overall, spurred by F: Atin meat, shelf items and beverages. Produce 'VKt'S dichned 5.6 percent. ; The cost of health care also 0.1 percent, as the price drugs nonprescription June. lut the slight .001 per-- f p ei one-hal- new-hom- Association. "Then, the numbers start coming down." Builders boosted construction of new homes and aparUne&U by 4.S percent in June, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.45 million, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. All regions except the Northeast shared in the gain. "It's very difficult to advance from this number Lerf ah id. 'This number is very "close to which was the best since cent for the last two weeks, lowest this year. Financial markets largely ignored Thursday's economic news. The Dow Jones industrial average, which broke above 8,000 Wednesday for the first time, was up 17.89 88,056.77 in early afternoon trading. But indicators were lower as investors ked in some gains aesdayi rally. Bond prices were higher. The Labor Department reported separately Thursday that new claims f.r joMess benefits fell by 2$ .000 lat week to a seasonally adjusted 349.000. Analysts had attributed a 40,000 increase the previous week to automobile plant closings for annual broad-mark- Housing starts totaled 1.48 million in 1SW. the most since 1.49 million eight years earlier. "Buyers are more confident, mortgage rales are favorable, there's more employment and income." more explained Michael Carliner. an economist with the National Association of Home Builders. fixed-ratIndeed. mortgages averaged 7.47 per new-mod- el retooling. f- The July 5 spike skewed the k movclosely watched ing average, which rose from 348,500 to 34S.750, highest four-wte- e 30-yea- r, et fj't 19. 19SS to GboQ fiD sEarSs long since last January. Analysts prefer to track the k average because it smooths out the spikes in the weekly reports. "Excluding the effects of the automobile industry, however, claims still indicate an easing in labor market conditions, as the level has remained above 330,000 for seven consecutive economist noted weeks." Marilyn Schaja of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. in New York. Housing starts fell 6.6 percent in May, even steeper than the 4.8 percent drop first reported. But the April figure was revised to a 0.3 percent advance from an initially estimated 0.7 percent dip. The June advance was the fourth this year. Still, starts so far in 1997 totaled 3.2 percent fewer than during the first six months of 1996. mmxtm i j hi n;i fchj Housing '," ym.",MJ,' less-volati- le four-wee- f1 starts ktvS Sf4ulh Jftfd tmmi rat I1EIII JO I lIIIIl 0 JFMAMJ 1 sj . S J ,93S 0 Juried 11491 i-rL -J- N 0 1997 May97 1139! : I JuntUT 1 i r-rr- , 1 - fh-ohli- f.-'- con-jrib- jn transportation costs, i! 0 it Ijower gasoline prices J to the 0.2 percent drop ; ft , ii ! ; (P) C II it it revers-fci- g two months of increases, I f!i 'thing expenses declined f.5 reversing a trend ih:-- t saw clothing prices go up J. 4 erocnt over Use past six compared with the first rvi-cont- i t:)fif!ast ' year. nlal rates, utility bills and Ihv cast of eating at restau-tawt- s were unchanged in June. I Ji Advice offered o women entrepreneurs 1LLEYTE. Wash. AP) Starting a business Ls never fOTieull when you're thinking si u1 a'J the benefits: freedom, v, fulfillment and con- 5 ii Sl's when you start dealing illi customers, competition, awing and government reg-c- l aliens that things get tricky, a'.rordmg ta several Eastside iincn business owners. Kella Adam grew up in a irnily full of entrepreneurs. Bt1h sides of her family owmed their own businesses, and l l.!;i.if s n thinking about going business mv whole life," v V V. If 3 - IMMtmiMlMWllMIHia. Mi U i , - A U , U .. r. I) , ! ; - - 1 developing technical and ''(' training programs it Microsoft and Kirkland-h.i--.c- 'j Wall Data, Adam decided ti' liquidate her savings s :(' nt and form her oth comj puter training and consulting firm in Kirklan-dAdam works MMbour days, puis in time on weekends, and "II dream about my business, so I work about 24 hours 3 day," she said. My mother a right. She warned me and said. 'You don't know horn- much cwk it really is.' She suggests talking to line CJ.S. Small Business Administration and researching tax laws, employment laws .and licensing requirements. 4 J am learned, for instance, tfj.-- t in Kirkland. a heme4iased Tmiress can employ only relatives vi the owner, so she decid-d- i to aent am office. J Judy Jewell used to work in U'ie personnel office at am RednwMad. In 1988, founded she Olympian , which makes comcreS ii such as columns and 'ij,1-itadiiurai risers for building axws mvmyxmTM tms. Jewell drew cm ber family's in stoaae masonry, also sought Hike assistaBoe Sj'jf jf usiwps organitations. She tJtae National Association i t Vtn en in Cunslrutlicoj and j raw president of Ibe group fuget Sound cdhapder. She aleo a a board member tf the THE NEW GOLD CD AfWT AND IT'S RATHER large -- . ANNUAL PERCENTAGE fc.isk-.ull- n actual Shown here size. The Gold CI) is just the latest reason to be g!aJ you Ye a Gold Account customer. But don't feel excluded if you Ye not - just come in and sign up for both. You'll be glad you did. The Gold gives you the kind of yield Gold Account customers have come to expect from their investments. Only the best. Just stop by your local Zions Bank branch through July 31, 1997, CD to take advantage oi this special opportunity. Pbyeio-Cimitif- il n YIELD. 2 1 1 h ., n For more information call d tt I;. it m initj-adt'iir- s Sedn-on- CoOToeroe. Chamber of ZIONS BANK Member TDIC fciv U'jaJa 4 Gold AoiMNMat, jwmH the follwwArif ImuukuI , haK, htutAinrS ulfe no jtrnmnouJ tee (if-(llt- ) (jf( ic5iiiiij-jWordiTTt.. tree cxflxiuil clsetlkK, Jtm4 tit tirxtia fivQiM-- J idf-m.- ! "The Gallj CO j:uwit s rvk: lr rJe iter om hae Lnkimg mtf j(ii - - on Imiat.. fcifW tull u. Mnxtt, on wnimp, 10 petil CI) Mmg. on dmounl free pertoiwl brokrrar tee, thwk. no-te- e free tfeiv dcpotii traveler checks, free . mmimum drpuML SuLmmMuJ jtimi3v for eMiiy islJijii POOPv.( |