BUSINESS DIGEST || Business symposium

Business symposium

POLAND

A business symposium will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Poland Library.

The symposium, sponsored by The Friends of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, will focus on effective business communications.

There will be a morning of presentations on better communications skills and techniques by Toastmasters, a public-speaking club. Topics include “Better Listening,” “Ordinary To Extraordinary Presentations” and “Successful Business Communications.”

The Business and Investment Center librarian will discuss resources from the library to support any business.

PNC appoints new board member

PITTSBURGH

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. appointed Marjorie Rodgers Cheshire to its board of directors.

Cheshire is president and chief operating officer of A&R Companies, the umbrella organization for A&R Development Corp. and A&R Management Inc. A&R is a diversified real-estate development organization focused on the Baltimore and Washington markets.

In addition, the board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on the common stock of 48 cents per share. The dividend is payable Nov. 5 to shareholders of record at the close of business Oct. 15.

Shale-related jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Firms supplying goods and services to companies producing oil and gas from shale will add more than 18,000 new Ohio jobs over the next 10 years, according to a new report by IHS Economics prepared for the Energy Equipment and Infrastructure Alliance.

The new jobs will add to 21,000 current shale oil- and gas-supply jobs, bringing the total to almost 40,000 over the next decade.

By 2025, total employment growth is expected to be more than 85 percent, averaging 5.8 percent per year.

Average 30-year mortgage rate drops

WASHINGTON

A key long-term U.S. mortgage rate dipped this week, the second drop after a large increase two weeks ago.

Mortgage company Freddie Mac said Thursday the nationwide average for a 30-year loan slipped to 4.19 percent from 4.20 percent last week. The average for a 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, was unchanged at 3.36 percent.

The 30-year rate is down from 4.53 percent at the start of the year. Rates have fallen even though the Federal Reserve has been trimming its monthly bond purchases, which are intended to keep long-term borrowing rates low. The purchases are set to end next month.

Mortgage rates often follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The 10-year note traded at 2.41 percent at midday Thursday, down sharply from 2.57 percent a week earlier.

Staff/wire reports

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Aqua America, .61, 23.49 —0.01

Avalon Holdings,3.81—0.07

Clear Channel, .46 21.52 —0.59

Cortland Bancorp, 13.750.25

Farmers Nat., .128.00 0.01

First Energy, 1.44, 33.460.09

Fifth/Third, .5219.79—0.01

FirstMerit Corp., .64,17.49 0.13

First Niles Financial, .32,9.200

FNB Corp., .48,12.040.11

General Motors, 1.2033.180.69

General Electric, .88,25.12—0.04

Huntington Bank, .20, 9.670.07

JP Morgan Chase, 1.60,58.84—0.53

Key Corp, .26,13.210.03

LaFarge, 17.44 —0.06

Macy’s, 1.25, 58.350.59

Parker Hannifin, 1.92, 111.10—0.57

PNC, 1.92,84.21 —0.37

RTI Intl. Metals,24.370.02

Simon Prop. Grp.,5.20,164.49—0.42

Stoneridge 11.37 0.41

Talmer Bank, 13.800.04

United Comm. Fin., .04 4.740.08

Selected prices at 4 p.m. Thursday. Provided by Stifel. Not to be construed as an offer or recommendation to buy or sell any security.