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Wednesday, January 26, 2000 Page: 10B
Bank in fire to reopen
M&T Bank is opening a temporary branch in the Midway Shopping Center, U.S.
Route 11, Wyoming, to replace a nearby office that has been closed since a
Jan. 11 fire caused the plaza to close.
The new branch occupies approximately 1,300 square feet of space in a
separate undamaged building on the south side of the plaza property. The
address is 1016 Wyoming Ave., Midway Shopping Center, Store 21E, Wyoming, PA
18644.
The new office will include three teller windows and three customer service
desks. It will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.
The phone number is 693-4742.
The financial institution plans to reopen a permanent facility in the
center.
Career fair reps needed
The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry is seeking 80
members willing to represent their respective fields at Career Exploration
Fair for eighth-graders May 16 and 18.
The chamber is seeking people whose occupations involve responsibilities
dealing with the artistic, scientific, nature, authority,
mechanical/industrial, information systems and retail business. It also needs
those involved in the persuasive, accommodating, humanitarian, social-business
and physical performing endeavors.
To volunteer, contact Jane Ashton of the chamber at 823-2101, ext. 116, or
Joseph W. Kolesar of the Luzerne County Business and Education Partnership at
639-5208 or JoeKol@aol.com.
The deadline to volunteer is Feb. 11.
Visitor’s Guide available
Copies of the 2000 Pennsylvania State Visitor’s Guide are available from
the Luzerne County Tourist Promotion Agency.
The guide includes listings of attractions, accommodations, state Welcome
Center locations, travel tips, and state heritage and history.
To order a free copy, call the agency at 888-905-2872 or visit its Web site
at www.tournepa.com.
Consumer confidence up
Consumer confidence, a driving force in the economy’s long expansion, has
soared to its highest level in the 33 years the statistic has been kept,
driven by the booming stock market and plentiful jobs.
The Conference Board, which studies business and finance trends, reported
Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 144.7 in January, the
highest level reached since the business-financed group began keeping such
records in February 1967.
Wall Street analysts only expected a reading of 141.5 in the index, which
is based on monthly interviews with 5,000 U.S. households and measures
consumer optimism about current and future business conditions.
Economists pay close attention to the index since consumer spending makes
up about two-thirds of the U.S. economy and is a major factor behind the
current U.S. growth streak, which is due next month to become the longest on
record.
Stocks close higher
Stocks ended a volatile session mostly higher Tuesday as investors rewarded
companies that released strong earnings reports for the final quarter of 1999.
Market averages fluctuated as the threat of rising interest rates convinced
many investors that corporate profits may be pinched later this year.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21.72 to close at 11,029.89. The
blue-chip index dropped as much as 124.72 points earlier in the session and
appeared headed for its sixth consecutive decline before turning higher.
Broader stock indicators also bounced back from major losses to finish
higher. The Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 8.12 to 1,410.03, and the Nasdaq
composite index gained 71.33 to 4,167.41.
Next week, the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rates a
quarter-percentage point in its latest move to slow the economy’s growth and
head off inflation.