On PR Newswire: Obama Pens Essay, Economic Optimism at 10-Year High, ATM Fees Set Record

With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire for Journalists. Here are some of this week’s most newsworthy releases you might have missed. 

Source: PRNewsFoto/The Economist

US President Barack Obama Writes a Guest Essay in The Economist

President Barack Obama has written an essay for this week’s edition of The Economist, in which he identifies the four economic challenges that he believes his successor must address. The essay will appear in print in the October 8th edition of The Economist and appeared online yesterday at Economist.com. “It is unusual for us at The Economist to publish an article by invitation,” said Zanny Minton Beddoes, The Economist‘s editor-in-chief.  “We made an exception today because we think that Mr Obama’s essay on the economic problems underpinning voter anger is something that will be of great interest to our readers around the world. The president also gives a fairly frank assessment of some things that his administration has left undone.” See the full release to learn more more about the essay.

Dunkin’ Donuts to Launch Ready-to-Drink Coffee in 2017

On Sept. 29, National Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Donuts announced that it will launch a line of Dunkin’ Donuts branded ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee beverages in the U.S. in early 2017. Coca-Cola Co. will manufacture, distribute, and sell the product. This marks Dunkin’ Donuts’ first entry into the ready-to-drink coffee category, which has enjoyed very strong growth over the past five years and represents $2.3 billion dollars in annual sales, according to Nielsen. The agreement supports Dunkin’ Donuts’ goal of strengthening its position as a coffee authority and further extends the Dunkin’ Donuts brand into new distribution channels. See the full release to learn more about Dunkin’ Donuts new product.

Source: PRNewsFoto/PNC Financial Services Group

Small Business Owners Upbeat About U.S. Economy, But Few Plan to Hire

Owners of small and mid-sized businesses are upbeat about the U.S. economy amid steady expectations for their sales and hiring during the next six months, according to the latest PNC Economic Outlook Survey findings. The fall findings of PNC’s biannual telephone survey, which began in 2003, reveal that 71% are optimistic about the national economy, the most since 2005, and up from 55% in the spring. Meanwhile, 77% are optimistic about their local economy, the highest since 2014. See the full release to learn more about the findings of the survey.

ATM Fees Set New Record High; Overdraft Fees Are Down

ATM fees set a new record high for the 10th year in a row, with the total cost of using an out-of-network ATM withdrawal rising to $4.57, according to Bankrate.com’s 19th annual checking survey.  Consumers are typically faced with two different fees when using an out-of-network ATM: the surcharge assessed by the ATM owner on a noncustomer and the fee charged by the accountholder’s own bank for using another bank’s ATM.  This year, the average ATM surcharge hit a new record, rising to $2.90 from $2.88 last year.   The average fee charged by a consumer’s own bank for going outside the ATM network increased 1.8% to $1.67. See the full release to learn more about how much Americans are paying to use an ATM.

Source: PRNewsFoto/Food Network

A New Batch of Talented Bakers Aim to ‘Sleigh’ the Competition on New Season of Holiday Baking Championship

Beginning on Sunday, Nov. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, nine talented bakers brimming with holiday cheer compete to “sleigh” their competition on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship. The contestants must whisk, fold and frost their way through difficult challenges as host Bobby Deen mixes things up with surprising twists along the way. The one with the best baking abilities, and with the most delicious desserts that spread the holiday spirit, will rise to the top as judges Duff Goldman, Nancy Fuller, and Lorraine Pascale determine who will win the biggest gift of the season – a $50,000 grand prize and the title of Holiday Baking Champion! See the full release to learn more about the program on Food Network.

Want to see more news like this? Keep up with the latest news in your coverage area with a customized newsfeed. Click here to sign up now or email us to finetune your existing profile.

Larry Grady is online content manager at PR Newswire for Journalists.  He has worked in business media for nearly 30 years and enjoys reality TV and daydreaming about travel and wine.