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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 25, 2009

Consumer Confidence Tanks

Confidence in the economy hit a record low in February as job were lost and retirement accounts shrank.

The Conference Board said its Consumer Confidence Index lost more than 12 points in February, dipping to 25 from the revised figure of 37.4 for January. The index has kept tabs on consumers since 1967. A year ago, the number was 76.4.

Home Price Drop Sets Record

Home prices tumbled by the worst annual rate on record in the fourth quarter, two housing indexes showed Tuesday.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index shows home prices lost 18 percent in the quarter compared with the prior-year period, the largest drop in its 21-year history.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Tuesday that prices dropped more than 8 percent in the quarter compared with year-ago prices, its largest annual decline since 1991.
Port Manatee OKs Expansion Plan
The Manatee County Port Authority has approved Port Manatee's $750 million master plan for expansion over five decades, with the immediate focus on opportunities from the Panama Canal expansion scheduled to be completed in 2014.

The plan approved last week does not authorize capital expenditures, which the port authority would review and OK individually. One part of the master plan focuses on attracting containerized shipping, along with berth and container terminal expansions and road and railroad improvements.

A staff and wire report

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