Ciber News Release (07/29/14)

Ciber Inc. reported revenue of $214.6 million for the second quarter of 2014, down 3% (5% in constant currency) from $220.4 million in the second quarter of 2013. North American revenue totaled $105.2 million, down 2% from $106.8 million. The company posted a net loss of $5.5 million, compared with a net loss of $1.8 million in the year-ago quarter.

Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. News Release (07/29/14)

Heidrick & Struggles International Inc. reported total revenue of $141 million for the second quarter of 2014, up 10.7% from $127.3 million in the second quarter of 2013. Net income totaled $3.8 million, up 100% from net income of $1.9 million in the year-ago quarter.

Executive search and leadership consulting revenue totaled $70.5 million in the Americas, up 3.4% from $68.2 million on a year-to-year basis.

Conference Board News Release (07/29/14)

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved in June, increased in July. The index now stands at 90.9, up from 86.4 in June. The Present Situation Index increased to 88.3 from 86.3, while the Expectations Index rose to 92.7 from 86.4.

“Consumer confidence increased for the third consecutive month and is now at its highest level since October 2007 (95.2),” says Lynn Franco, director of economic indicators at the Conference Board. “Strong job growth helped boost consumers’ assessment of current conditions, while brighter short-term outlooks for the economy and jobs, and to a lesser extent personal income, drove the gain in expectations. Recent improvements in consumer confidence, in particular expectations, suggest the recent strengthening in growth is likely to continue into the second half of this year.”

Consumers’ assessment of both current and future conditions improved in July. Those saying jobs are “plentiful” increased to 15.9% from 14.6%, while those claiming jobs are “hard to get” remained unchanged at 30.7%. Those anticipating more jobs in the months ahead increased to 19.1% from 16.3%, while those anticipating fewer jobs declined to 16.4% from 18.4%.

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas (07/28/2014)

Texas factory activity increased again in July, according to 115 Texas manufacturers responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ Texas Manufacturing Outlook Survey. The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, rose from 15.5 to 19.1, indicating output grew at a faster pace than in June.

Labor market indicators reflected continued employment growth and longer workweeks. The July employment index posted a second robust reading, although it edged down from 13.1 to 11.4. Twenty-five percent of firms reported net hiring compared with 14% reporting net layoffs. The hours worked index edged up from 4.7 to 6.3, indicating a slightly stronger rise in hours worked than last month.