http://www.xorte.com Xorte - the latest EU and international business, finance and economic news, commodity market news, stock market news, currency market news, real time foreign currency rates. eng According to a new survey by American Express, 71 percent of Americans consider their current job situation “just as stable” as or “more stable” than last year. Of these consumers, 54 percent feel their job is just as stable, while a significantly smaller number, 16 percent, feel their job is more stable. Nearly a quarter (24%) of consumers consider their job “less stable” compared to last year. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,American-Express-7-out-of-10-Consumers-Feel-Stable-in-Their-Current-Jobs-Linked-to-Spending-Patterns-and-Job-Moves,11525.html 2010-03-19 The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods declined 0.6 percent in February, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This decrease followed a 1.4-percent advance in January and a 0.4-percent increase in December. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods moved up 0.1 percent and the crude goods index fell 3.5 percent. On an unadjusted basis, prices for finished goods advanced 4.4 percent for the 12 months ended February 2010, their fourth consecutive 12-month increase. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,U-S-Producer-Price-Index-in-February-2010,11521.html 2010-03-19 The first estimate for the euro area (EA16) trade balance with the rest of the world in January 2010 gave a 8.9 bn euro deficit, compared with -12.1 bn in January 2009. The December 20092 balance was +4.1 bn, compared with -1.7 bn in December 2008. http://www.europe.xorte.com/3,0,Euro-Area-External-Trade-Deficit-8-9-bn-euro-in-January-2010,11516.html 2010-03-19 The president and his administration are still focused on health care, but have added in a renewed dialogue on jobs to help show they understand the continuing trouble people are having on economic issues. But it seems this isn’t resonating with the public. Since January, President Obama’s low job rating on the economy has held steady. Just under one-third of Americans (32%) give him positive ratings on the job he is doing on the economy while 68% give him negative ratings. In January, 31% gave him positive marks and 69% gave him negative ones. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,Public-Remains-Deeply-Pessimistic-About-the-Economy-and-Employment,11526.html 2010-03-19 Real average hourly earnings for all employees rose 0.1 percent from January to February, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This increase stems from a 0.1 percent increase in average hourly earnings while the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) remained unchanged. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,U-S-Real-Earnings-in-February-2010,11520.html 2010-03-19 On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the last 12 months, the index increased 2.1 percent before seasonal adjustment. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,U-S-Consumer-Price-Index-in-February-2010,11519.html 2010-03-19 Regional development projects in EU Member States will get faster and easier access to EU structural funding, thanks to new rules backed by the Regional Development Committee. As part of the EU's "anti-crisis" measures, advance payments will be increased for projects that help create jobs in countries worst hit by the downturn. http://www.europe.xorte.com/3,0,Regional-Development-MEPs-Back-Fast-Track-Funding-to-Boost-Economic-Recovery,11523.html 2010-03-19 Mortgage rates barely budged this week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage inching lower to 5.07 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.38 discount and origination points. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,Bankrate-Mortgage-Rates-Post-Mixed-Results,11517.html 2010-03-19 Hourly labour costs in the euro area (EA16) rose by 2.2% in the year up to the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with 3.0% for the previous quarter. In the EU27, the annual rise was 2.4% up to the fourth quarter of 2009, compared with 2.9% for the previous quarter. http://www.europe.xorte.com/3,0,Euro-Area-Hourly-Labour-Costs-Rose-by-2-2-in-the-Fourth-Quarter-of-2009,11515.html 2010-03-18 In the construction sector, seasonally adjusted production fell by 2.2% in the euro area (EA16) and by 2.0% in the EU272 in January 2010, compared with the previous month. In December 20093, production decreased by 1.0% in the euro area, but rose by 0.8% in the EU27. Compared with January 2009, output in January 2010 dropped by 12.5% in the euro area and by 8.4% in the EU27. http://www.europe.xorte.com/3,0,Construction-Output-Down-by-2-2-in-Euro-Area-in-January-2010,11514.html 2010-03-18 Investors have recovered their bullishness towards equity markets but are shifting their focus away from Europe and into the U.S. and Japan, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Survey of Fund Managers for March. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,BofA-Merrill-Lynch-Fund-Manager-Survey-Finds-Sentiment-Moving-Against-Europe-in-Favor-of-U-S,11513.html 2010-03-18 Employment prospects appear to be stabilizing or slightly improving through the first six months of 2010. However, they have not improved dramatically over 2009 levels and still remain well below levels observed in 2006 through 2008, according to projections from 267 employers responding to specialized legal and business publisher BNA's latest quarterly employment survey. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,Slight-Improvement-in-Employment-Prospects-Through-First-Six-Months-of-2010,11512.html 2010-03-18 The U.S. Import Price Index fell 0.3 percent in February, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The decrease was led by a 1.9 percent downturn in fuel prices, which more than offset a 0.2 percent advance in nonfuel prices. Export prices fell 0.5 percent in February after advancing 0.7 percent in each of the previous two months. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,U-S-Import-and-Export-Price-Indexes-in-February-2010,11509.html 2010-03-18 The economic downturn and rising jobless rate appear to have put a brake on employee absences. Rates of employee absences through 2009 are at the lowest recorded since 1985, the year legal and business publisher BNA began its quarterly survey of employers. Falling beneath the 2008 low of 0.9 percent of scheduled worker days per month, the median absence rate in 2009 averaged 0.7 percent. Absence rates have declined consistently since 2005, when they averaged 1.5 percent of scheduled worker days. http://www.usa.xorte.com/4,0,Yearly-Job-Absences-Employee-Turnover-at-Historic-Lows,11511.html 2010-03-18 The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Spain declined 0.2 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) decreased 0.2 percent in January. http://www.europe.xorte.com/3,0,The-Conference-Board-Leading-Economic-Index-reg-LEI-for-Spain-Declined-0-2-Percent-in-January-2010,11510.html 2010-03-18