Now here’s good news: The state’s unemployment rate last month fell to 7 percent, down from 7.3 percent and far below the national average of 8.6 percent.
The number of jobs created last month wasn’t spectacular. Only 5,000 new jobs were added to local payrolls. There’s also a lot of flux in the total labor-market stats, [...]

Right now, it’s a dull whisper among Beacon Hill merchants, but it’s sure to become a full-fledged scream after the Christmas shopping season. The word among Charles Street retail merchants – “Times are tough.”
Yesterday, I received word of another boutique store that will be closing down due to the lack of sales. I’m now presently [...]

It looks like a long-sought supermarket for the North End area isn’t going to happen.
Trinity Financial has yanked the supermarket component from its design for a new 320-unit apartment complex in the Bulfinch Triangle area, in between Canal and Washington Streets. Nearby residents aren’t happy. They really wanted that store.
Hey, there’s a Whole Paycheck store [...]

Over the weekend, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal that stocks were up because of good news regarding the European financial reforms.
Oops! Headlines of the Wall Street Journal today: Markets Doubt European Deal.
“The glow of last week’s European Union faded Monday as global investors drove down stocks …amid concern (about European financial [...]

You might be thinking: “OK, Boston Real Estate Blog is really stooping low in order to somehow get Renee Zellweger’s famous traffic-driving name in a blog post.”
But, wait! There really is a local Boston real-estate angle. The person handling the blonde Hollywood actresses’s sale of her Connecticut colonial home for $1.5 million is none other [...]

Mayor Menino is pushing for hyper-small studio apartments in the Seaport (“Innovation”) District.
We’re talking way small. As in 375-square-feet small. Will it work? Will there be a demand? The administration thinks so. Some developers agree. They may well be right.
But what if they’re wrong? That’s the problem with government-dictated policies. They may get it wrong, [...]

Interesting debate on MSNBC Morning Joe, whether President Obama’s policies are helping or hurting the national economy.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Bank of America has organized a good-intentioned event: It plans to meet in Boston with mortgage holders, face to face, in person, to go over how mortgage-payment pressures can be eased.
“The purpose of this event is to eliminate the faxes, the FedEx mailings and the phone calls to 800 numbers and allow for face-to-face interaction [...]

Boston Beacon Hill real estate open houses for 11/11/11
Beacon Hill – River House, The # 529 Status: Available Price: $425,000 Type: Condo
Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Sq. Footage: 640 $/Sq. Foot: $664.06
Condo Fee: $524.00 Bldg Loc: Space: Common Deck, Balcony, Common Courtyard Parking: Street
Description: [...]

Boston Back Bay open houses 11/11/11
Back Bay – 293-295 Commonwealth Ave # 1C Status: Available Price: $474,000 Type: Condo
Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Sq. Footage: 793 $/Sq. Foot: $597.73
Condo Fee: $294.00 Bldg Loc: Space: None Parking: Rental
Description: Spacious 2 Bedroom freshly updated on the [...]