Health insurers will continue to improve their bottom lines by shifting more costs to employers, analysts predict. The love affair between Wall Street and high-tech companies like Michigan's Compuware and Lason Inc. soured in 2000. Compuware, burned in early 2000 for focusing exclusively on the Y2K computer glitch, has began to branch out from designing and hawking mainframe software programs. In the meantime, some high-tech seeds planted in 2000 could start to bear fruit in the new year. Early in the year, the state government is expected to name 10 SmartZones.
Competition is fierce.
The slowdown in the automotive industry and stock market will drag down sales of luxury homes, especially along the I-75 corridor through Oakland County. With the Federal Reserve signaling its intent to lower interest rates in January, another refinancing wave may be in order for the first half of the year. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed rate mortgage in Metro Detroit is hovering around seven percent. A refinancing wave could prove a boon to the home improvement market. Lower rates may also draw more first-time buyers into the market.