Michigan comes in No. 2 in Bloomberg evaluation

LANSING (AP) -- Gov. Rick Snyder says he's pleased Michigan ranked No. 2 in the first-ever Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States Index. The Republican said in a Wednesday conference call that the ranking will help sell the state worldwide as a good place to do business. Bloomberg says Michigan came in second "thanks in part to the effect of the auto bailout" under President Barack Obama. The rankings looked at data on real estate, jobs, taxes and stock prices, with some indicators going back to 2008, when Democrat Jennifer Granholm was governor. They also factored in Michigan-based businesses that have seen strong growth in recent years, such as Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Dow Chemical Co. Much of the information is targeted to municipal bond buyers. North Dakota was No. 1. Published: Fri, Nov 4, 2011