Written by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews

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IMS Makes 12th Acquisition

International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM), the holding company for Continental Trade Exchange, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and client base of Eagle Barter Exchange of Chattanooga (TN). Johnny Eagle, the former owner, will be staying on to manage the Chattanooga office and to bring his media experience and marketing expertise to the nationwide barter network.

“The addition of Eagle Barter’s operation strengthens our barter network’s presence in the southern-central area of the U.S.,” affirmed Dale Mardak, Sr. VP for IMS. “Having Johnny Eagle join our staff is a real plus. He is one of the most respected figures in the barter industry, and has a strong background in radio broadcasting which will add a new dimension to our advertising and media departments.”

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XM Satellite Radio, AOL Tradeoff Creates New Online Service

A new co-branded service between AOL and XM Satellite Radio promises to aid AOL’s desired turnaround. (AOL hopes that beefing up its radio services, by providing greater access to programming via its web sites, will persuade subscribers to stay with their service.)

In the new deal, AOL subscribers will get free access to about 70 XM commercial-free radio channels. And XM benefits from the trade-out by obtaining enormous brand building opportunities with AOL’s 22 million subscribers.

Editor’s Note: XM Satellite’s competitor Sirius Satellite Radio, which continues to move in a different direction by working with high profile celebrities, has just announced a four-year agreement to create and launch a channel with Martha Stewart. The branded channel will be aired 24/7, and feature Stewart on a regular basis sharing her expertise in the home and garden.

Every barter company in the world is listed on our web site, click through to our Global List of Barter Companies

Promotional Products’ Sales Hits New Record

Sales on promotional products jumped 4.7% last year to $16.9 billion, the highest figure ever recorded, according to the Advertising Specialty Institute’s fourth quarter Industry Sales Survey.

The survey found that 61% of distributor member firms reported that fourth quarter revenues were up versus the same period in 2003.

Distributors cite two factors contributing to the rise in sales: the more widely and accepted use of promotional products in overall marketing strategies and the strengthening North American economy.

A sales increase of at least 5% for 2005 is predicted by distributors. The study also found that printing, graphic design, and other industry-related shops are showing signs of expanding into promotional products.

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Americans’ Disenchantment With Jobs & Employers Grows

A new study has found that only 50% of American workers are satisfied with their jobs, down from 60% ten years ago. A slim few, 14%, said they were “very satisfied” with their jobs, according to a report by New York-based research organization The Conference Board.

“Rapid technological changes, rising productivity demands and changing employee expectations have all contributed to the decline in job satisfaction,” said Lynn Franco, director of TCB’s Consumer Research Center.

“As large numbers of baby boomers prepare to leave the workforce, they will be increasingly replaced by younger workers, who tend to be as dissatisfied with their jobs, but have different attitudes and expectations about the role of work in their lives,” Franco noted. “This transition will present a new challenge for employers.”

The findings become even more alarming when coupled with a report released last summer that found 40% of workers feel disconnected from their employers. And, that two out of every three workers do not identify with or feel motivated to drive their employer’s business goals and objectives.

Furthermore, 25% said they showed up at work just to “collect a paycheck.” That study was conducted by TNS, a London-based research firm that conducts other surveys for The Conference Board.

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Here & There...

• A new national survey, commissioned by the Tax Foundation and conducted by Harris Interactive, shows that 59% of U.S. adults believe they pay more federal income tax as a percentage of income than billionaire Donald Trump.

  An overwhelming 81% of adults believe the federal income tax is somewhat or very complex, and 70% said they either “hated” or “disliked” doing their income taxes. More than half, 55%, say the amount of federal income tax they pay is too high.
  

• More than half of the 20 million small businesses in the U.S. don’t have web sites, according to the Kelsey Group.

• The International Monetary Fund expects the U.S. economy to grow at 3.6% this year, which will be the fastest among the world’s leading industrialized nations. Canada will post the second fastest growth in the Group of Seven industrialized countries at 2.8%. The group also consists of Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Italy.

• Has any “angel investor” surpassed what Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim did when he wrote a $200,000 check in 1998 to the co-founders of Google? That investment was subsequently worth nearly $300 million when Google went public last August!
  
• A 12-bedroom oceanfront Hampton estate is on the market for $950,000—to rent! That’s the price to use the estate between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

• Where is the biggest potential in the restaurant business? It’s serving breakfast. Only 4% of Americans buy their breakfasts at restaurants. Starbucks is moving into this market with sandwiches, such as eggs Florentine on an English muffin.

• Have you signed up to receive a summary via e-mail of the TuesdayReport every week? If not, go to the top of this issue (right hand corner) and sign up!

• Foreclosure.com, an online listing service in Boca Raton (FL), reported that 28,190 foreclosed houses were put up for sale in March...a 49.8% increase from one month earlier. The company said it was the largest monthly jump since 1999, when the company began tracking the data.

  The number of foreclosed properties rose in 47 states. Even California and the District of Columbia, areas with strong price appreciation, saw foreclosures rise.

• Verizon Communications has signed content-programming deals with various content providers, representing 100 television channels, as the phone company steps up its push into the world of entertainment. Verizon is expected to launch its television operations later this year.

• India’s growing economy is luring large New York property company Tishman Speyer Properties to joint venture with a venture funds management company in India, to invest $600 million in that country’s booming property market. Their gross domestic product (GDP) climbed 6.9% last year and is expected to expand more than 7% this year.

• The World Tourism Organization reports that the Middle East is experiencing the fastest growth rates in the world...tourist arrivals increased 44% in Syria, 34% in Egypt, 26% in Lebanon, and 19% in Bahrain.

  (World-wide hotel occupancy ran at 62% last year, but the Middle East came in at 69% according to Four Seasons Chief Financial Officer Douglas Ludwig.)