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Consumer confidence in technology and the overall economy both increased in April, according to the latest CEA Indexes released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had decreased in March, improved in April. The Index now stands at 65.4 (1985=100), up from 63.8 in March. The Present Situation Index increased to 39.6 from 37.5. The Expectations Index rose to 82.6 from 81.3.

In February 2011 compared with January 2011, the euro area (EA17) industrial new orders index rose by 0.9%. In January the index grew by 1.2%. In the EU27, new orders increased by 1.2% in February 2011, after a rise of 0.5% in January. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders increased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 0.3% in the EU27.

After two consecutive quarters of increased optimism, the latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index survey revealed a decline in small business owner optimism from Q1 2011 levels. Conducted April 4-8, 2011, the Index score dropped 12 points from last quarter and now sits at a score of zero indicating that small business owners, as a group, are neutral - neither optimistic nor pessimistic - about their companies’ situations. Credit availability concerns remain unchanged with about one-third reporting that obtaining credit would be somewhat or very difficult. Fewer business owners demonstrate confidence in their financial situation, revenues and cash flow over the next 12 months.

The 11 March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake was the strongest ever recorded in Japan and triggered the country’s worst disaster of the post-war era. The earthquake and accompanying tsunami resulted in an enormous loss of human life, as well as massive economic damage. A preliminary report by the government estimated the damage to social infrastructure, housing and private firms’ fixed capital at between 3.3% and 5.2% of 2010 GDP.

Employers took 1,286 mass layoff actions in March involving 118,523 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Resurgent global food prices, which posted record increases in the first two months of 2011, are again threatening to push millions of people in developing Asia into extreme poverty, says a new report from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled 'Global Food Price Inflation and Developing Asia'.

Public pension funds are experiencing a robust recovery from the historic market downturn of 2008-2009 – reporting strong investment returns, growing assets and more than adequate funding levels to meet their obligations, according to a new survey conducted for the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS).

Plimus Inc., the leader in complete, configured and connected hosted e-Business solutions, released the results of a social survey on the buying habits of online consumers from a random, at large consumer survey via Facebook and Twitter. The survey provides a real-world perspective of the online shopping experience.

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. web activity at the top online properties for March 2011 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Green lifestyles were top of mind for many Americans in March as the country took part in the annual Earth Hour (March 26) amid rising fuel costs. Travel sites spiked as springtime rolled in, helping visitors to plan last minute spring break getaways and upcoming summer vacations.