Indicators MONDAY Short-term Treasury auction.  TUESDAY Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller releases its August index of home prices. Conference Board releases the consumer confidence index for October.  WEDNESDAY Commerce Department releases durable goods for September and new-home sales for September.  THURSDAY Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims. Commerce Department releases third-quarter gross domestic product. Freddie Mac releases weekly mortgage rates.

Indicators MONDAY National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for October.  TUESDAY Commerce Department releases housing starts for September. Labor Department releases the Producer Price Index for September.  WEDNESDAY Federal Reserve releases Beige Book.  THURSDAY Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims. Federal Housing Finance Agency releases August home price index. Freddie Mac releases weekly mortgage rates. The Conference Board releases leading indicators for September.

You probably noticed the promotional ads in the paper or messages on our Facebook page about our new electronic newsletter, MetroBiz2go. In case you missed it, here’s the news. MetroBiz2go, a weekly e-mail newsletter, launched in mid-August. The e-newsletter is like a younger sister to our popular and long-standing Metro Business print section, which is published each Monday.

This week, Virginians have a new way to address their tax questions, Dominion Virginia Power applies for a federal stimulus grant, and the Martin Agency wins a new big account.

Starting your own business, buying a franchise or forming a nonprofit are challenging tasks. No matter the endeavor, it’s crucial to take some time to prepare and evaluate your goals. Here are a few things to consider: Starting your own busine

• Not surprisingly, a major factor is money, which can be tough to get in this economy.

One is devoting time to a nonprofit. Another bought a franchise. A third started his own business. Months after mass layoffs at Qimonda Richmond, the refugees of the eastern Henrico County memory-chip maker are looking beyond their engineering and manufacturing résumés to find new career paths. The reasons vary.

A report on manufacturing activity shows the sector contracted less than expected in June, while pending home sales edged up.

In her job, Allison Dunaway makes sure people follow state environmental laws. That entered into her thoughts when it came time to build her dream house. “I wanted to put my money where my mouth was,“ said Dunaway, 30. She and husband Greg, 32, are building an unusual, environmentally friendly house on 2 acres in Powhatan County.

Employment numbers matter. The size of a company’s work force provides a good barometer of the vibrancy not only of that business but of the local economy. The annual ranking of the region’s Top 50 employers helps tell the story for our area. This year’s list appears tomorrow in the Metro Business section. The employers found on the 2009 list are similar to one the

In 1949, Charles Ylonen and his new wife, Pearl, put up their house, insurance policies and everything else as collateral for an old country store in Seven Pines in eastern Henrico County. It was the authentic, old-fashioned kind with gas pumps in front. Chuck sold groceries; Pearl pumped gas. They lived on the second floor. They soon opened a store in the former Watkins’ Store in Providence Forge in New Kent County. It was so near the railroad tracks that when trains rolled by, canned goods jittered off the shelves.

Metro Business asked Andy Thornton, co-owner of LaDifférence home-furnishings store at 14th and Dock streets in downtown Richmond, about operating a business downtown and what the future holds for that area: “We really enjoy the whole character of what is down here. “Everybody in retail is challenged right now no matter where you are in the country. Downtown is having its own issues like the West End. “But the long term is a really exciting place to be. “[Downtown] just has a great dynamic. . . . People have a totally different perspective on life down here.“ Watch the full video interview with Thornton on TimesDispatch.com. Keyword: Metro Business

Stewart H. Brown Jr., the former president of now-defunct furniture retailer This End Up, died Friday. He was 69. Mr. Brown left a successful career as a Richmond stockbroker in 1976 to join his wife, Elizabeth Robertson “Libby” Brown, in a company that pioneered crate-style furniture. Her brother and his friend started making the furniture in 1974 in North Carolina. The brother persuaded Libby Brown to open the first This End Up retail store on Strawberry Street in Richmond’s Fan District in 1975.

Caroline County received the Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) from the Virginia Economic Developers Association at its spring conference in Williamsburg on March 13. This is the second time in three years Caroline has won the CEDA Award. Caroline won the CEDA in competition with other Virginia communities with populations from 15,000-40,000. Caroline has a population of about 26,000.

Citigroup, its stock trading under $1 just a week ago, cleared $1.50. Other bank stocks rallied, too. The CEO of JPMorgan Chase said his bank, like Citi, made a profit for January and February. Wall Street, which managed to avoid losing ground immediately after a big rally for the first time all year, held its breath yesterday. Were the banks actually be showing the beginnings of a turnaround?

Vaughan-Bassett Furniture plans to invest $2.15 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Galax.