Local

Good economic news for Charlotte after national numbers improve

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Good economic news nationally is showing up in the prospects of Charlotte businesses.

Watching the electronic ticker outside the Uptown offices of Wells Fargo, the arrows were almost all pointed up in what amounted to a thumbs-up Friday for the economy.

A report released Friday morning showed more than 200,000 new jobs were created across the country last month.

A number of Charlotte companies said they're planning to continue hiring.

At AvidXchange, a software company that helps businesses with invoicing, growth has become a part of the company culture.

It nearly doubled its size this year, and Vice President Jay Plueger says next year looks just as promising for hiring.

"In order to meet the opportunities in front of us, we're looking to hire up to 100 new employees over the course of 2014," Plueger said.

Across town, Sally Brewster is finding her fortunes improving on a smaller scale.

Brewster's Park Road Books is seeing a steady increase in sales and those who are buying more.

"We see people are spending money. I mean, I think Charlotte is booming back and we see every indication that the economy is going well," Brewster said.

Housing sales are also improving in Charlotte.

Frarnk Lothaft, the chief economist for mortgage giant Freddie Mac, was in town this week.

He's bullish on Charlotte's economy.

"We're going to continue to see a pickup in home sales and we're going to see a pickup in home prices," he said.

All of which is combining to offer an early Christmas present to the local economy.