Below please find daily updates pertaining to the latest in financial, business, and tax news:

Even with uptick in jobs, Florida loses ground in wages

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:21:15 PST 2012

Florida may have added 114,000 jobs last year, but they paid almost 25 percent less on average than the ones they replaced, a new analysis by the Tampa Bay Times shows. Jacksonville added 5,500 jobs last year, according to On Numbers. Part of the problem is the fact that many of the newly created jobs are in several lower-wage sectors: retail clerks, theme park workers and restaurant servers,...

One lousy Sabres game will be on TV: Well whoop-de-do

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:18:33 PST 2012

I suppose the Buffalo Sabres, the honchos over at WGRZ-TV and ? of course ? the loyal, die-hard, hockey-starved fans are happy to varying degrees over the news that Channel 2 will be allowed to carry the Sabres game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night. Me, I don?t think it?s such a big deal. It smells mostly like a grab by one or more parties for a little positive publicity as th...

KPMG Centre reverts to receiver; JLL to manage property

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:17:12 PST 2012

KPMB Centre, a 34-story, 828,000-square-foot office tower at 717 North Harwood St. in downtown Dallas, has been transferred to a special receiver and is being managed by Jones Lang LaSalle. The receiver, Keith Ward, has selected Jones Lang LaSalle team Steve Everbach and Blake Shipley as the skyscraper's leasing and management team. The team's primary focus is to dramatically increase the lev...

Super Bowl seen as vital to struggling NBC

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:17:02 PST 2012

The Associated Press has a review of NBC?s Super Bowl telecast, its first since being taken over by Philadelphia-based Comcast, here. Among other things, The AP says last night?s promotions of NBC?s last-place primetime lineup ?had an almost desperate feel.? But there were high points, too, the AP said. ?In his second Super Bowl but first for NBC, [analyst Cris] Collinsworth, the former Cinc...

Portuguese-Brazilian restaurant opens in Honolulu's Chinatown

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:16:37 PST 2012

A new restaurant called Adega Portuguesa has opened in Honolulu's Chinatown neighborhood, serving a menu of Portguguese and Brazilian cuisine. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the restaurant, in the former Mei Sum dim sum restaurant space at 1138 Smith St., is owned by Antonio Da Silva, who also owns a handman service, Trigo Enterprises Inc., and PartyRentalsHawaii.com. The newspaper repor...

State Bank posts $43M annual profit

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:15:36 PST 2012

State Bank Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: STBZ) The holding company for State Bank & Trust Co. saw a decrease in profitability in 2011. Net Interest Income: $145.2 million, up 10.8 percentNet Income: $43 million, down 5.5 percentEarnings Per Share: $1.32, down 5.7 percentTotal Assets: $2.75 billion, down 2.9 percentTotal Deposits: $2.3 billion, down 5.1 percent State Bank Chairman and CEO Joe Eva...

Houston added most U.S. private-sector jobs in 2011

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:14:32 PST 2012

The Houston-area added 63,400 private-sector jobs between 2010 and 2011, more than any other market in the U.S. In total, Houston supported 2.21 million private-sector jobs in 2011, according to an analysis of preliminary U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data by the Business Journals? On Numbers. The official statistics will be released at the end of the month. After Houston, another Texas cit...

Polaris hires former Target.com president

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:11:59 PST 2012

Snowmobile and ATV maker Polaris Industries Inc. has hired Steve Eastman, former president of Target.com, to lead its Parts, Garments and Accessories (PG&A) business. The PG&A business generated $408.2 million in sales in 2011, up 19 percent from the previous year. And Medina-based Polaris said it anticipates "rapid growth" in that business during 2012. PG&A revenue makes up about 15 percent o...

Giambra returns to his roots

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:11:21 PST 2012

Former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra has always been proud of his West Side roots. Make that very proud. Giambra is now backing his pride with his pocket book. During Buffalo's recent in rem property auction, Giambra bought two adjoining vacant parcels on Plymouth Avenue, paying $1,900 for the neighboring lots. Why? "I'm re-investing in my old neighborhood," Giambra said. "I believe i...

Franke was key figure in Milwaukee business community

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:11:05 PST 2012

When I first was named publisher of The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee over 18 years ago, I needed a few mentors to help me make my way into local business circles. Thankfully, Harry Franke came along. Harry was a key figure in the ascendance of the Downtown Rotary of Milwaukee to a spot as the networking group in the area. Harry pulled me into the group ? as he did dozens of new...

R.R. Donnelly: Dividend Dynamo or the Next Blowup?

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:41:35 PST 2012

What the numbers tell us. ...

Is The U.S. Leading the Global Economy Out of a Downturn?

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:22:11 PST 2012

Interested in investing in companies that could benefit from this turnaround in growth? ...

Meet Micron Technology's New CEO

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:17:42 PST 2012

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Fossil Worth $135 Again?

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:30:06 PST 2012

Fossil Worth $135 Again? ...

These Gaming Stocks Pay -- Guaranteed

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:13:48 PST 2012

Move over, Steve Wynn. You're not the only casino operator paying a dividend anymore. ...

Sohu Shares Plunged: What You Need to Know

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:11:42 PST 2012

Is this meaningful? Or just another movement? ...

5 Superball Stocks

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:07:48 PST 2012

Sometimes, the harder you throw a ball, the higher it bounces. ...

Let's See if Cliffs' Growth Is for Real

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:07:14 PST 2012

These two metrics can tell you a lot. ...

Is Baidu's Growth for Real?

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:04:11 PST 2012

These two metrics can tell you a lot. ...

Checking the Quality of Akamai's Growth

Posted: Mon Feb 06 09:01:02 PST 2012

These two metrics can tell you a lot. ...