It was a little less than a year ago, in March of 2009, that the stock market hit bottom. The flood of foreclosures that almost brought down the banking industry was rolling forward and jobs were in decline, and had been since December of 2007. What do we have to look forward to in 2010?

Here are the positive indicators that I see as we move into the new year. Based on federal government indexes, consumer confidence is increasing. This is a very positive development, because people will begin to spend more money as their confidence in the economic future improves. Employment in the United States held steady in November for the first time since December of 2007. People need jobs in order for our economy to keep moving forward. Mortgage rates are at record lows, in the area of 4.74 percent and are projected to stay in that range for at least the next few months. These rates make home ownership possible for more people, who can now qualify for new loans. Ten-year treasury notes are at 3.79 percent. Oil prices are in the range of $80 per barrel. Our gross domestic product is expected to increase in the area of 2 percent to 3 percent for 2010. This is not a giant step forward, but it is in the positive range, and it is expected to be positive for the year. The economic forecasters I read do not see a cyclical correction in the stock market (decline/drop in value) for the next few months. A correction is expected, just not in the immediate future. The Federal Reserve is working on plans to withdraw the excess liquidity that was injected into our economy to save the banking industry. The intent would be to hold inflation in check as the economy improves.

Being successful as a business owner in these difficult times is often a matter of being able to move forward on a day-to-day basis, temporarily losing money—or just barely making a profit—and still being able to keep the business moving forward. The focus then becomes a question of what can be done to improve the profit for the day, or the week, rather than the month or the year. Here are three suggestions that I have read recently that I think could be valuable:

1. Provide your clients and customers with an experience and service that is valuable regardless of what happens in the marketplace.
2. Look for ways to capitalize on the opportunities the current economy is providing.
3. Only make promises and commitments you can keep.

I am always looking for information to help me understand what occurred to create the current economic chaos our country is in. I recently came across an in-depth article in Vanity Fair magazine that I found very interesting. You can read the story, “Good Billions After Bad,” by going online to www.vanityfair.com. Once you are in the Web site, select: archives and then select: October 2009 (Jacqueline Kennedy is on the cover). Select: Good Billions After Bad.

Jack Van Rossum C.C.I.M. is an independent real estate broker in Chico. He can be reached at 530-342-6915 or at jrossum@sbcglobal.net

By Jack Van Rossum