| Aquarion Gets Preliminary Water Rate Increase Approval
State regulators have given preliminary approval to a rate hike request for Bridgeport-based Aquarion Water Co. The state Department of Public Utility Control Monday issued a draft decision approving about half the increase sought. The DPUC would grant Aquarion $17.15 million in additional revenue, or an overall increase of 14.84 percent. Aquarion originally asked for a $31.95 million, or nearly 28 percent, increase to pay for infrastructure improvements and increases in operating expenses. .
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Your credit score influences many areas of your life. A prospective employer will check your credit when considering you for employment. Your insurance agent may check your credit when deciding to insure your car or home. Your lender, whether for a home loan or other consumer debt, will check your credit score when making a determination. Your credit report shows the history of your borrowing activities as they have been reported to the credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) by lenders, court records and others at a point in time. The credit score helps credit grantors to evaluate this information quickly because it gives a snapshot of your payment history. Thousands of credit grantors send updates to the bureaus -- usually once a month. These updates include balances, monthly payment amounts and whether there have been late payments.
South Africa: Strong Rand, Strike Cut Factory Output
MANUFACTURING fell in September for the first time in three-and-a-half years -- knocked mainly by a strike in the motor industry, but also by a slowdown in consumer demand blamed on rising interest rates. Factory output, which accounts for more than 16% of the economy, fell 1,4% in the year to September after a rise of 5,2% in August, marking the first annual contraction since February 2004. .
Asian shares mixed as credit concerns persist; Shanghai hit by tightening fears
SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Stock markets across Asia were mixed Monday on continued worry about the credit crisis with Australia finding support in fresh gains among resource stocks while Shanghai faltered on expectations of further tightening measures to cool the Chinese economy. Benchmarks in South Korea and Taiwan were flat, while Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines managed modest gains. The Hang Seng was slightly higher after falling in early trade. Valuations have become more attractive after the declines of the past week, but concerns about the global credit crunch are preventing investors from making aggressive moves. "It's a 3 trillion dollar problem worldwide and it should play a major role on the markets for some time to come," said Jose Vistan Jr, research director at AB Capital Securities in Manila.
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