Gasoline prices, on average, are the cheapest in Tennessee in Bradley County where regular gasoline was selling at the start of this week for $2.17 a gallon for regular fuel, or 43 cents below the U.S. average, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of stations.
Chattanooga gas prices average just slightly more a $2.20 a gallon, which is down 1.4 cents from week ago. GasBuddy.com surveys show gas prices in Chattanooga on Monday averaged 5.4 cents per gallon less than a month ago and stand 24.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.
“While the national average gas price didn’t show much of a significant trend either way, oil prices did jump last week on the solid jobs report and on news of a growing consensus that the U.S. and China have agreed to some form of a trade deal,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “With such strong economic data, the picture is painted that we could see improving demand for oil and thus prices. While it may not be immediately noticed at the pump as gasoline demand continues to be weak in the off-season, it certainly could lead to a more noticeable impact next summer should nothing change until then.”
Forbes names Deborah Levine ‘diversity trailblazer’
Deborah Levine, founder and editor-in-chief of the American Diversity Report who lives in Chattanooga and is a columnist for the Chattanooga Times editorial page, has been named as one of 10 Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazers by Forbes magazine
Levin is the author of 14 different books focused on religious diversity and she developed the Matrix Model Management System, a tool designed to measure the Big Data of diversity. With 33 years of experience in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, she also has designed different resources on inclusion and unconscious bias and is a trainer and speaker who uses interactive and storytelling-based methodology to connect with her audience.
She has been published in the Harvard Divinity School Bulletin, and The Journal of Public Management & Social Policy.
Uber predicts profits in 2021
The losses at Uber are mounting, but the ride-hailing heavyweight now predicts it will be profitable in about two years.
CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told reporters Monday that the company’s goal is to reach profitability – when adjusted for interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – for the full year of 2021.
“While we will of course continue to invest in growth and the power of our platform, especially in some of our newer, high-potential businesses like Eats, we will continue to be thoughtful stewards of capital, make tough decisions where necessary, and make any dollar investment count,” Khosrowshahi said.
The San Francisco company picked up the pace of its revenue growth, racking up $3.81 billion in the third quarter, 30% more than the same time last year.
But it lost $1.16 billion in the quarter, extending its streak of losses. The third-quarter loss included $401 million in stock-based compensation related to its initial public offering.
The loss amounted to 68 cents a share and was wider than the $986 million shortfall in the same period last year.
Small business market cooling
The market for small businesses cooled further during the third quarter as fallout from trade wars made companies look less appealing to buyers.
That’s the finding of a quarterly report analyzing small business sales released by BizBuySell.com, an online marketplace for companies. BizBuySell.com counted 2,454 small businesses sold during July-September, down 8.6% from 2,685 sold in the same period last year. That followed declines of 9.6% in the second quarter, 6.5% in the first quarter and 6% during the last three months of 2018.
Some owners who were considering selling are now holding off because they’re concerned they may not get a good sales price for their companies. And tariffs raise costs and therefore threaten a company’s profitability, making the business less attractive to a potential buyer. That and fears about a recession are limiting what buyers are willing to pay for companies.
The median sales price for a business edged up just 0.1% during the third quarter from a year earlier, said BizBuySell.com, which based its findings on a survey of small business brokers across the country.
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