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Analysts have speculated that free checking may disappear from many national banks. However, Bankrate, Inc.'s first annual 2010 Credit Union Study shows that free checking accounts are alive and well at many of the nation's top credit unions. The study also takes a look at fees, account balance minimums, and the cost of ATM usage at the 50 largest credit unions in the country.

Emissions of greenhouse gases from EU businesses participating in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) fell 11.6 % in 2009 compared with a 2008, according to the information provided by Member State registries.

On Tuesday MEPs approved the EU's new energy efficiency legislation for buildings, which will help consumers to cut their energy bills and the EU as a whole to hit its climate change target of using 20% less energy in ten years' time. Member States will have to alter their building codes so that all new buildings constructed from the end of 2020 meet high energy-saving standards. Existing buildings will have to be upgraded where possible.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Spain remained unchanged and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) increased 0.1 percent in March.

Between 2000 and 2009, EU27 exports of goods to the 33 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries grew more slowly than imports: exports rose from 59 billion euro to 66 bn, while imports increased from 54 bn to 74 bn. As a result, the EU27 balance of trade with the LAC countries turned from a 5 bn surplus in 2000 to a 9 bn deficit in 2009. This change is due to an increase in the EU27 deficit in primary goods (from -27 bn in 2000 to -42 bn in 2009), while the EU27 surplus in manufactured goods remained stable at 32 bn. The LAC countries accounted for just over 6% of the EU27's total external trade in goods in 2009.

Research released by BDO, a leading professional services firm, identifies general economic conditions (96%) as the leading risk factor by far among the 100 largest public U.S. retailers for the second year in a row. Despite this, of the retailers who cite general economic conditions as their chief concern, only 49 percent cite financial market turmoil, a drastic reduction from the 97 percent of retailers who cited it as a concern in 2008. This year retailers are more concerned over unemployment (70%), interest rates (56%) and inflation (41%). Concerns over U.S. and foreign suppliers and vendors jumped to the second spot this year (86%) while credit availability and company indebtedness (84%) dropped in importance (#4), but remains a critical concern for retailers in 2010.

Europe's digital economy is growing in strength, spreading throughout all sectors of the economy and reaching into all areas of our lives, according to the European Commission's Digital Competitiveness report. Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) have driven half of the productivity growth in Europe over the past 15 years. Six out of ten Europeans regularly use the internet. However, if Europe wants to fully exploit the potential benefits of the digital economy, it must step up a gear and provide faster broadband and an internet people trust, improve citizens' skills, and encourage even more ICT innovation. The European Commission will propose specific measures in these areas with its Digital Agenda for Europe, a flagship of the Europe 2020 strategy, to be launched shortly.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for China increased 1.1 percent, and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) for China increased 0.4 percent in March.

Consumers have taken financial matters into their own hands, implementing proactive spending and mortgage management strategies to steer their budget clear of the economic crisis.

Monthly retail sales figures released today by the Department of Commerce showed slight gains, indicating that although consumer spending is up and the economy is growing, consumers remain cautious, noted the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).