Hudson Global Inc. News Release (04/24/2014)

Hudson Global has sent a letter to its stockholders, informing them, among other things, that the company is making significant progress executing its transformation plan and is on a path toward sustained profitability. Hudson “finished 2013 with sequential quarterly gross margin growth, strong liquidity of $67 million, and a solid business development pipeline,” the letter states. The company expects to achieve quarterly break-even adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization this year.

Wall Street Journal (04/24/14) Josh Mitchell

Orders for durable goods rose by 2.6% in March, more than the 2.0% forecast by economists, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Orders were up by 3.6% from the same time last year. The March increase, the biggest since November, was influenced by an uptick in aircraft orders though demand was on the rise across the board, signaling that the economy is gaining strength following a long winter. Business orders of equipment and software are growing, as is spending on nondefense capital goods, not including aircraft.

Bloomberg (04/24/14) Michelle Jamrisko

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index is at its highest point since August and is the second-strongest since January 2008. The index reached minus 25.4 in the period ending April 20, up from minus 29.1 the week before, due to growing confidence among the wealthy and investors, rising equity prices, a slower pace of firings, and an improving job market.