Hispanic Business Newsletter: What Will the Fed Do?; Chavez Seizes Spanish-Owned Bank; Web Sites are Key to Small Biz

Fed Likely to Hold Rates Steady, Balancing Concerns of Inflation with Growth

An ugly brew of rising unemployment, spiking foreclosures and gyrating energy prices is plaguing the country and making life difficult for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as he tries to right the economy. Bernanke and his central bank colleagues are faced with dueling problems: weak economic growth and advancing inflation. To treat one risks aggravating the other. So the Fed is widely expected when it meets Tuesday to leave a key interest rate alone.

Chavez Seizes Banco Santander

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is set to take over the country's third largest bank, Banco de Venezuela, which is owned by the Spanish bank Banco Santander.

General Motors, Ford Considering Cooperation

Troubled US carmakers General Motors (GM) and Ford are considering cooperating on the development of new engines and powertrains, the Detroit News reported Monday.

Building a Web Site is Key to Jump-Starting a Small Business

When prospective entrepreneurs ask small-business consultant John Maynard whether they should develop a Web site for their planned enterprises, Maynard responds with a question of his own. "When ... they ask me that, I (ask) them if they would consider operating a business without a telephone," said Maynard, who serves as the director of program development with the Small Business Development Center in Athens. In this day and age, many find a business without a Web site to be unfathomable.

HispanTelligence Research

Hispanic Economy in Transition

Hispanics are now the largest ethnic minority in the United States and during the past decade, U.S. Hispanic purchasing power has rapidly increased. This report takes an in depth look at how today's Hispanic Economy is transitioning into an economic power in the U.S. Click here for the executive summary and table of contents!

Hispanic-Owned Businesses: Growth Projections to 2012

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States is expected to grow 41.8 percent in the next six years to 4.3 million, with total revenues surging 39 percent to more than $539 billion, according to new estimates by HispanTelligence. Spurred by growing entrepreneurial trends and affluence among the nation's largest minority population, the increase is expected to come at a robust rate of 8.5 and 8.7 percent, respectfully, over the next couple years.

Purchase the 2007 Hispanic Business 500 Directory

For more than two decades, the annual Hispanic Business 500 directory has served as a barometer of the U.S. Hispanic economy. A purchase of the 2007 directory provides the top 500 Hispanic-owned companies list in Excel format including: CEO names; company addresses and telephone numbers; e-mail addresses for 375 companies and Web addresses for 430 companies; and company revenue and employees numbers for 2005 and 2006.

From the current issue of Hispanic Business magazine...

Unveiling the Secrets Behind Hispanic Business' 100 Fastest-Growing Companies

After our research department delivered the list of the fastest-growing Hispanic-owned companies in America, we wondered what all these success stories have in common. Is there a single, universal element of success they share? In search of an answer, we talked to six CEOs from some of the hottest companies, all in the top 20 of our list. The sectors vary, as do their locales, but they all have this in common: they are defying an unstable economy to produce skyrocketing profits. Here are the insights they shared with us. You may find some of them surprising.

Microsoft's Diversity Program Clicks into High Speed

Microsoft's vendor diversity program is catapulting to the head of the corporate class. Next year, Microsoft expects to crack the $1 billion mark in spending with minority- and female-owned businesses, up from $833 million in 2007. Kelly Chapman, Microsoft's director of diversity recruiting, has seen the company make great strides.

Green Adventures in Costa Rica and Panama

Tourism will contribute a stunning $5.5 trillion to the global coffers in 2008, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, and that number will likely increase as developing countries open new travel destinations. Leading the way in these new vacation opportunities is a bold, new initiative: ecotourism. The concept behind this rapidly growing industry is that profits generated by tourism can be used to sustain the local culture and environment--and the vacation should incorporate an appreciation for the local ecosystem.

Top 50 Exporters: In Volatile Market, Food and Green Companies Lead the List

Even at a time of economic upheaval in the United States, the Top 50 Hispanic-owned export companies proved last year that domestic goods can sell in the global marketplace. Thirty-two companies on this year's list reported double-digit gains in export revenues. Leading the growth were companies like Compasa LLC, which saw revenues jump to $53.5 million in 2007, a whopping 235 percent increase over the prior year. The McAllen, Texas-based meat and grain exporter enjoyed the fastest growth of any company on the list.

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