The Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking and Markets Business Barometer fell to minus 21% from 26% last month, meaning most respondents are negative on the view of the economy.
The eurozone crisis continued to escalate throughout May as fears grew over the health of the Spanish economy and the possibility of Greece exiting the euro.
Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking & Markets, said: "The renewed concern around the eurozone is clearly having an impact on businesses' sentiment towards prospects for the UK economy and, to a lesser extent, to their own prospects."
Companies also became less confident about their own prospects, although the decline was not as severe as the sentiment towards the broader economic outlook.
Businesses' confidence in relation to their own prospects currently stands at 35%, down eight points on April's 43%, Lloyds said, which still remains higher than during the worst of the financial crisis in 2008/09.
The survey data suggest an underlying 0.2% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) between April and June, Lloyds said, but only once the impact of the Diamond Jubilee is taken into account, which is likely to have reduced growth by 0.5 percentage points.
The most notable declines in confidence in May came in the North and Midlands and in the retail and distribution sector.
The deepening troubles in the eurozone have also hit confidence on stock markets.
Debt-ridden Greece, which is in its fifth year of recession, faces a crucial election later this month, which has been branded a referendum on whether it will stay in the eurozone and stomach more painful austerity measures.
Meanwhile, there are fears over the health of Spain's banking sector, after its fourth biggest lender, Bankia, said it needed a 19 billion euro (£15.2 billion) bail-out. In the UK, banking stocks have been among the worst hit.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.
A day in the life of a mall rat: Reporter finds it’s not just shopping that brings people to West Acres - INFORUM
FARGO - I’m hardly someone who enjoys shopping. I get rather impatient when having to deal with large crowds. And food court fare doesn’t always seem to agree with my delicate digestive system.
So it’s weird finding myself spending an entire day, as I recently did, at West Acres Shopping
Center for a slice-of-life look at a day as a teen mall rat.
Fresh off a year of school, these boys and girls of summer are flocking to the mall for a hangout that’s safe, free and out of the elements.
So I dressed in my best teen-going-to-the-mall disguise, and set off to spend a day living the dream as a full-time American consumer.
9:15 a.m.
I roll into the strangely empty West Acres parking lot an hour before stores would begin opening. One benefit of arriving so early is that at least I’d have a good parking spot.
As I scope out my options for breakfast, I realize, almost too late, that I’m directly in the path of four mall-walkers.
They bear down on me at breakneck speed in what seems like a game of chicken.
I get out of the way just in the nick of time.
It’s a jungle, the mall. Only the strong survive here.
At this time of the day, there are few teens but plenty of tennis shoe-wearing adults. Small clumps of white-haired folks having coffee are spread throughout the food court, and I make my way over to one of the tables.
The group, made up of two couples – Deanne and Jerry Larson and Marian and Wally Salzwedel, all of Fargo, comes to the mall every weekday from about 8 to 10 a.m.
For the first hour, they mall walk, and for the second hour, they relax with coffee and just chat.
The Larsons have been coming to the mall for about four years, and the Salzwedels for closer to seven.
The group has made the mall their daily destination, Jerry Larson says, because it’s a large and welcoming indoor space well-suited for social interaction.
“We could walk outside, but then we’d miss the social aspect,” he says.
“Monday through Friday, you see the same people every morning,” Deanne Larson says, which makes the mall feel like a little family of sorts.
10:20 a.m.
Most of the stores opened about 10 minutes ago, and the crowd is starting to pick up.
I pack up my computer in the food court and make a couple of rounds through the mall, looking for things to do to pass the time, like a teen with no car and little money. Being a journalist isn’t much different, I realize.
Turns out, there is more to do than you might think.
Aside from the television and the large aquarium down by Sears, the player piano by Herbergers or the kaleidoscopes by JC Penney, there’s also the mini library in the center of the mall, with several shelves full of regional books.
One particular book there caught my eye: “Just How Much Scrap Lumber Does a Man Need to Save?”
I’ve always wondered.
11:30 a.m.
Of all the people I saw in the mall on Friday, these two stood out the most: Noah Fiedler and Ethan Curtis, two guys who had just finished their last day of fourth grade the previous day at Rothsay, Minn., Public Schools.
The boys were taking laps through the mall, wearing some huge fake mustaches that they had purchased earlier in the morning.
When asked about their facial hair, both boys shrug as if it wasn’t a big deal, and proceeded to ask me for directions to a store I didn’t recognize.
Needing to protect my cover story as a mall rat, I give them directions.
I hope they made it.
2:45 p.m.
The mall’s gotten quieter as the noon crowd thins out, but I’m still finding plenty of things to do.
After eating lunch, I’ve spent the last couple of hours people-watching in the center seating area and watching the movie in the Roger Maris museum. Who says there’s nothing to do here?
3:50 p.m.
After checking out the mall’s various artwork, (Alissa Sorum, the mall’s marketing director, told me that all photographs are by local photographers, and that more than 100 local and regional artists are represented throughout the building), I wander over to a group of teens sitting in the center court to find out directly from the source what makes a mall rat want to spend time here.
Angel Guarneros, Angel Ramirez and Anna Meyer, all eighth-graders at Ben Franklin Middle School in Fargo, were spending the first day of their summer vacation here, and the three say they’ll likely be spending a lot more time in the mall this summer.
Asked about what exactly the mall’s appeal is for teens such as themselves, the girls’ answer sounds familiar to what I heard from the older crowd earlier in the day – it’s simply a nice place to socialize with other teens their age.
“It’s big, and you can walk around and not get in trouble for it,” Ramirez says.
4:45 p.m.
It’s not just teen girls who enjoy the mall, it turns out. I make my way over to a bench in the food court, where ninth-grader Jake Roy, eighth-grader Isaac Roy and 10th-grader Wesley Possen, all of Fargo, admit they come here two or three times a week, sometimes hanging out for four or five hours at a time.
“It’s something to do,” Possen says.
“It’s an open space, where we can see other people,” adds Jake Roy.
The mall’s appeal for both young and old was starting to make sense to me.
I still don’t enjoy large crowds, but I was beginning to see West Acres as more than just a shopping center. It’s also a community space.
6 p.m.
As my workday winds down, I realize I’m actually quite tired. Aside from all the socializing with cliques both teen and senior citizen, I also had my picture taken in the mall’s photo booth (by myself, so I could remember the experience), shopped a little (but like a good mall rat didn’t actually buy anything) and played with puppies in the pet store.
And as a result, I’m beat.
Being a mall rat is exhausting. How do these teens do it?
I’m ready for a nap. Where’s the mattress store? I wonder what my sleep number is.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Sam Benshoof at (701) 241-5535
UK Business Confidence Plunges In May - huffingtonpost.co.uk
Business confidence in the wider economy plunged in May as companies were shaken by developments in the crisis-hit eurozone, a survey showed on Wednesday.
The Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking and Markets Business Barometer fell to minus 21% from 26% last month, meaning most respondents are negative on the view of the economy.
The eurozone crisis continued to escalate throughout May as fears grew over the health of the Spanish economy and the possibility of Greece exiting the euro.
Trevor Williams, chief economist at Lloyds Bank Wholesale Banking & Markets, said: "The renewed concern around the eurozone is clearly having an impact on businesses' sentiment towards prospects for the UK economy and, to a lesser extent, to their own prospects."
Companies also became less confident about their own prospects, although the decline was not as severe as the sentiment towards the broader economic outlook.
Businesses' confidence in relation to their own prospects currently stands at 35%, down eight points on April's 43%, Lloyds said, which still remains higher than during the worst of the financial crisis in 2008/09.
The survey data suggest an underlying 0.2% growth in gross domestic product (GDP) between April and June, Lloyds said, but only once the impact of the Diamond Jubilee is taken into account, which is likely to have reduced growth by 0.5 percentage points.
The most notable declines in confidence in May came in the North and Midlands and in the retail and distribution sector.
The survey comes after accountants Ernst & Young said the recovery was being undermined by "zombie" companies. They claimed "financially undead" companies were holding back the economy and should be allowed to fail.
The deepening troubles in the eurozone have also hit confidence on stock markets.
Debt-ridden Greece, which is in its fifth year of recession, faces a crucial election later this month, which has been branded a referendum on whether it will stay in the eurozone and stomach more painful austerity measures.
Meanwhile, there are fears over the health of Spain's banking sector, after its fourth biggest lender, Bankia, said it needed a 19 billion euro (£15.2 billion) bail-out. In the UK, banking stocks have been among the worst hit.
Weekly Menu Planner: Dad's cheeseburgers, turkey soup and shrimp scampi - Dayton Daily News
Family Sunday
Make Dad’s cheeseburgers (see recipe). On the side, present deli red potato salad (stir in fresh chopped dill), pickles and olives. for dessert, chocolate layer cake and fat-free vanilla ice cream go down easy. We sure do love our dads.
SHOPPING LIST: Quick-cooking oats, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 95 percent-lean ground beef, salt-free dry steak seasoning blend, whole-grain hamburger buns, lettuce, tomatoes, 50 percent reduced-fat cheddar cheese, deli red potato salad, fresh dill, pickles, olives, chocolate layer cake, fat-free vanilla ice cream.
Kids Monday
The whole family will enjoy chicken linguine alfredo. cook an 8- to 10-ounce package refrigerated linguine according to directions; drain. return to pot; add an 8- to 10-ounce package cooked carved chicken breast (such as Perdue or another brand). Stir in ¾ cup light alfredo sauce mixed with 1/3 cup reduced-fat sour cream and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Cook over low heat 3 to 4 minutes or until heated; serve immediately.
Serve with carrot sticks and soft rolls. for a light dessert, bite into a nectarine.
SHOPPING LIST: Packaged refrigerated linguine, packaged cooked carved chicken breast, light Alfredo sauce, reduced-fat sour cream, nutmeg, carrot sticks, soft rolls, nectarines.
Express Tuesday
It’s hard to resist tuna melts for flavor and simplicity. Buy 2 cups tuna salad from the deli and spread it over whole-grain English muffin halves; top them with a tomato slice and a slice of Swiss cheese. Broil 6 inches from heat for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve with baked chips and add a packaged green salad to the meal. Peaches are the right dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: Deli tuna salad, whole-grain English muffins, tomatoes, sliced Swiss cheese, baked chips, packaged green salad, peaches.
Meatless Wednesday
Tonight, make a meal of stuffed baked potatoes. Scrub, pierce and microwave 4 (8-ounce) baking potatoes 10-12 minutes on high (100 percent power).
Meanwhile, heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium until hot. Add 1 medium chopped onion, and cook 10 minutes or until golden. Add 2 teaspoons cumin and 1 clove minced garlic; cook 1 minute. Add 2 cups mild salsa and a 15-ounce can rinsed reduced-sodium black beans and cook 5 minutes more or until hot. To serve, slash potatoes and divide bean mixture among them. Top with chopped fresh cilantro and plain yogurt.
Serve with deli coleslaw and whole-grain rolls. Fresh blueberries topped with vanilla yogurt and granola make a great dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: Baking potatoes, canola oil, onion, cumin, garlic, mild salsa, canned reduced-sodium black beans, fresh cilantro, plain yogurt, deli coleslaw, whole-grain rolls, fresh blueberries, vanilla yogurt, granola.
Budget Thursday
Turkey soup (see recipe) was a hit at our house. Serve the vegetable-packed soup with a spinach salad and cornbread (from a mix). Make instant butterscotch pudding with 1 percent milk for dessert.
SHOPPING LIST: Canola oil, ground turkey breast, celery, onion, carrots, reduced-sodium tomato juice, fat-free chicken broth, frozen cut green beans, sliced fresh mushrooms, tomato, less-sodium Worcestershire sauce, dried basil and oregano, coarse salt, pepper, garlic powder, bay leaf, fresh spinach, cornbread mix, instant butterscotch pudding, 1 percent milk.
PLAN AHEAD: Save enough soup for Friday.
Heat and Eat Friday
Dinner is almost on the table because you’re heating the leftover soup. Serve it with ever-popular grilled cheese sandwiches. Add a sliced tomato. How about plums for dessert?
SHOPPING LIST: Bread and cheese for sandwiches, tomatoes, lettuce, plums.
Easy Entertaining Saturday
Your guests will swoon over this shrimp scampi (see recipe). Serve it over angel hair pasta with fresh green beans and a boston lettuce salad alongside.
For dessert, keep it light with honey-lime fruit with fresh mint. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice and 2 tablespoons honey; mix well. Check for sweetness and add more honey or juice to taste. Add 5 to 7 minced fresh mint leaves. In a large bowl, combine 6 cups peeled, cubed or sliced assorted fruit (use any combination of melons, grapes, bananas, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, mangoes, pineapple or other fruit). Pour honey/lime mixture over fruit and toss gently to combine. Spoon into stemmed dessert or other pretty glasses and garnish with mint leaves. (Adapted from “The Daily Feast,” by Esther Rose Graber, Good Books, 2012.)
SHOPPING LIST: Olive oil, uncooked peeled medium shrimp, green onion, garlic, fresh or dried basil, lemon, coarse salt, parmesan cheese, angel hair pasta, fresh green beans, Boston lettuce, limes, honey, fresh mint, assorted fresh fruit.
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