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Fitch Ratings says in a new report that the global financial crisis has caused a further setback to euro adoption timetables in most EU member states in central and eastern Europe (CEE), owing to a marked widening of budget deficits and higher sovereign bond spreads. The exception is Estonia, which Fitch expects to join the euro area in January 2011.

Between 2000 and 2009, employment in the agricultural sector in the EU27 decreased by 25%, the equivalent of 3.7 million full-time jobs. It fell by 17% in the EU15 and by 31% in the 12 Member States (NMS12) that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. In 2009, employment in the agricultural sector was equivalent to 11.2 million full-time jobs in the EU27, of which 5.4 million were in the EU15 and 5.8 million in the NMS1.

US venture capital (VC) investment in cleantech companies in Q1 2010 hit $733.3 million in 72 financing rounds, a 68% increase in capital and a 118% increase in deals compared to Q1 2009, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. Compared to Q4 2009, these results represent a 6% decline in funding and 1% decline in financing activity.

Standard chargers for electric cars would be a major step towards a single European electric vehicle market, says a resolution adopted by Parliament. Smart electricity grids would also make these vehicles easier to use. More broadly, MEPs call for a balanced development of related technologies with more EU support to innovation in this field.

MEPs praised the European Investment Bank's quick response to the global financial crisis, namely the raising of its lending volumes, when they adopted Parliament's annual report on the bank's activities for 2008. However, while also welcoming improvements to the protection of whistleblowers and measures to tackle fraud, they called for more transparency over the allocation of global loans.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for Japan increased 2.3 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) decreased 0.1 percent in March.

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month period ending March 2010 compared to the preceding three-month period. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and mobile operators in the U.S. according to their share of usage by current mobile subscribers age 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber's primary mobile phone. The March report found Samsung, Motorola and LG separated by a mere fraction of a percentage point of market share among handset manufacturers, while Verizon led among mobile operators with 31.1 percent market share.

Americans are beginning to shed their anxiety about the economy which has dominated consumer sentiment over the past two years, and are less pessimistic about both their local economies and job security, according to findings from the RBC Consumer Outlook Index. Driven by improving attitudes about the local economy, the RBC Consumer Outlook Index climbed to 72.7 in May 2010, up 8.1 points from April's 64.6 level. However, consumers remain very concerned about their personal finances and deeply skeptical about investing and the national economy.

In March 2010 the average MFI interest rates on new deposits showed mixed developments. Most of the average MFI interest rates on new loans declined. Basically all average MFI interest rates on outstanding amounts of deposits and loans also declined.

Large-scale restructuring activity in Europe continues its recent trend of decline, albeit one where job losses continue to predominate over job gains, according to the latest quarterly report from Eurofound’s European Restructuring Monitor (ERM).