Managing editor Gideon Fidelzeid attended Gibbs & Soell’s Global Street Fight this morning. Punches weren’t pulled, but all feature speakers agreed that communicators are essential counselors for today’s CEO because they help them devise and deliver on the bold ideas that are necessary to thrive in today’s still-tenuous economy. Consumers don’t want to hear that CEOs are uncertain about the economy, the regulatory environment, or technology. They feel CEOs are compensated to make bold decisions amidst that uncertainty. Such boldness reflects well on those CEOs’ companies among the broader consumer base.

The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum begins today in Davos, Switzerland. As financial figures gather this week, polls show improved confidence ahead of Davos. Experts have a slightly more optimistic outlook about the global economy, according to a survey released Monday by the WEF. The percentage of the respondents who are optimistic rose to 23%, up from 17% the previous quarter.

yahoonews:

The U.S. economy added 146,000 jobs in November and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent, the lowest since December 2008. The government said Superstorm Sandy had only a minimal effect on the figures.

(AP)

The Labor Department’s last employment report before Election Day shows job growth last month. Employers added 171,000 positions in October, beating analysts’ expectations of 125,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 7.9% in October, from 7.8% in September, which was due to the number of people seeking work increasing more than the number of jobs available. 

The job market and the economy have been hotly contested issues between presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and each campaign put its own spin on the latest report. White House economic adviser Alan Krueger credited President Obama’s economic policies for the uptick in hiring, while a statement by the Romney campaign focused on the unemployment number calling it a “sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill.”