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comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 33 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $16.8 billion has been spent online, marking a 12-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week saw four individual days eclipse $800 million in spending, led by Cyber Monday, which became the heaviest online spending day on record at $1.028 billion. Tuesday, November 30 reached $911 million, making it the third heaviest online spending day on record, while Wednesday ($868 million) and Thursday ($850 million) also reached high levels, although growth rates for the season subsided in the latter half of the week.

After a dramatic drop last quarter, CPA executives regained modest optimism in the past three months about prospects for the U.S. economy but believe the recovery will be slow and they are cautious about plans for expansion and hiring, according to the latest AICPA/UNC Quarterly Economic Outlook Survey.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) increased in November for the second consecutive month. The index now stands at 99.0, up from October’s revised figure of 97.6. The index is up 9.3 percent from a year ago.

Kronos® Incorporated announced the December release of the Kronos Retail Labor Index™, a family of metrics and indices that analyze the relationship between the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, and provide a distinct and early indicator of the overall state of the economy. The December report includes data for November 2010.

The unemployment rate edged up to 9.8 percent in November, and nonfarm payroll employment was little changed (+39,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Temporary help services and health care continued to add jobs over the month, while employment fell in retail trade. Employment in most major industries changed little in November.

In October 2010, compared with September 2010, the volume of retail trade increased by 0.5% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.4% in the EU27. In September retail trade fell by 0.1% in both zones.

Nearly half (41%) of American investors are more optimistic about a near-term economic recovery than they were a year ago, according to a national survey of over 150 investors recently conducted by Q & A Research, Inc. In contrast, only 25% were less optimistic.

In October 2010 the majority of the average MFI interest rates on new deposits remained unchanged or increased. The average MFI interest rates on new loans showed mixed developments. Most of the average MFI interest rates on outstanding amounts of deposits remained unchanged, whereas average MFI interest rates on outstanding amounts of loans showed mixed developments.

eBay, the world’s largest online marketplace and a leader in mobile shopping, today announced the results of the first U.S. Online Business Index (OBI), a new report that highlights small-business owners’ views across a range of business topics. The inaugural U.S. report shows that the spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and well this holiday season, and showcases small businesses’ strong opinions about the importance of mobile commerce and impact of the proposed Internet sales tax to their online success.

Despite some positive economic news in recent days, most Americans remain deeply concerned about the state of the U.S. economy. The StrategyOne Annual Holiday Shopping Index found that 79% believe the U.S. remains in a recession; only 10% rate the economy as excellent or good; and just eight percent think the economy will be much better by next year. The public opinion poll of 1,072 Americans was conducted by strategic polling firm StrategyOne, a Daniel J. Edelman company.