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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index ® (LEI) for Mexico remained unchanged and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index ® (CEI) increased 0.3 percent in December.

Annual average unemployment rates in 2010 rose in 31 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 18 states, and remained the same in 1 state, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment-population ratios decreased in 43 states and the District of Columbia, increased in 3 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. Jobless rates increased in three regions and decreased in one, and employment-population ratios declined in all four regions in 2010. The U.S. jobless rate rose by 0.3 percentage point from the prior year to 9.6 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 0.8 point to 58.5 percent.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 0.5 percent in January to 107.5 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in December and a 0.7 percent increase in November.

Employers took 1,534 mass layoff actions in January involving 149,799 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Each mass layoff event involved at least 50 workers from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in January increased by 51 from December, and the number of associated initial claims increased by 11,807. In January, 341 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,189 initial claims; both figures increased over the month.

Merchandise trade growth quickened in the final quarter of 2010 in most major economies, with record trade figures in China. Total exports of G7 and BRICS countries grew by 8% in the fourth quarter compared to 1% in the previous quarter and total imports grew by 7% compared to 1% in the previous quarter.

Consumer confidence climbed last week to the highest level since April 2008 as Americans grew less pessimistic about their finances.

U.S. employers are planning to give employees this year the largest merit increases since the start of the financial crisis, according to a new survey by Towers Watson, a global professional services company. The survey also found that the hiring freezes that were put into place during the recession are beginning to thaw, especially for professional and technical workers, and positions that require employees with critical skills.

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released The comScore 2010 Europe Digital Year in Review. This inaugural report provides a comprehensive overview of key trends in the European digital media landscape, including market-level data on user demographics, social networking, online video, mobile, and search in 18 European countries - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Australia increased 0.7 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) remained unchanged in December.

Most Member States recorded an improvement in sentiment. Among the seven largest Member States, Poland (+3.6 points) and the UK (+3.1 points) reported the most significant increase, followed by Spain (+2.2), Germany (+1.3) and the Netherlands (+1 point). Only France (-0.4) and Italy (-0.5) reported a fall. The ESI is now above its long-term average in six out of the seven largest Member States, with Spain still catching up.