Earnings season is about to get underway, too, which is more than likely going to show a
fourth straight quarterly decline in profits — and if
firms aren't seeing bottom line leverage, they may be slow to dole out new
positions, or much in the way of payroll hikes.
With a little advance thinking about how to best use the
fourth quarter, most
firms could enter the new year better
positioned than they would simply pursuing «business as usual.»