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Annual average unemployment rates rose in 2009 in all regions, divisions, and states, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Employment-population ratios decreased across all of these geographic areas as well. The U.S. jobless rate jumped by 3.5 percentage points from the prior year to 9.3 percent, while the national employment-population ratio fell by 2.9 points to 59.3 percent.

The European Commission has launched the Europe 2020 Strategy to go out of the crisis and prepare EU economy for the next decade. The Commission identifies three key drivers for growth, to be implemented through concrete actions at EU and national levels: smart growth (fostering knowledge, innovation, education and digital society), sustainable growth (making our production more resource efficient while boosting our competitiveness) and inclusive growth (raising participation in the labour market, the acquisition of skills and the fight against poverty). This battle for growth and jobs requires ownership at top political level and mobilisation from all actors across Europe. Five targets are set which define where the EU should be by 2020 and against which progress can be tracked.

A macro-economic indicator, SpendingPulse reports on national retail and service sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for certain other payment forms, such as cash and check. MasterCard SpendingPulse does not represent MasterCard financial performance. SpendingPulse is provided by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is currently 4.80 percent, down four basis points from 4.84 percent compared to this same time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate peaked at 4.87 percent late last week before hovering below 4.80 percent over the weekend.

As markets continue to stabilize, 45 percent of CEOs interviewed for PricewaterhouseCoopers' Private Company Trendsetter Barometer survey are optimistic about the U.S. economy over the next 12 months (up two points from the previous quarter), and 47 percent who market abroad are optimistic about the world economy. Additionally, an increasing number plan to raise operational spending over the next 12 months (62 percent), despite concerns of legislative and regulatory pressures.

An annual increase of 10.6% in energy prices pushed overall inflation up to 2.1% in the OECD area in the year to January 2010, compared with 1.9% in December 2009. Energy prices rose by 19.1% in the United States.

In January 2010 compared with December 2009, the industrial producer price index rose by 0.7% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.9% in the EU27. In December 2009, prices increased by 0.1% in both zones.

The annual rate of change of M3 increased to 0.1% in January 2010, from -0.3% in December 2009. The three-month average of the annual rates of change of M3 over the period November 2009 - January 2010 stood at -0.1%, unchanged from the previous period.

Building on improved prospects for the global economy, most Pacific island economies are expected to perform slightly better in 2010 than in 2009, according to a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) publication.

Despite a depressed economy, global pay TV markets continue to grow. According to the latest market data from ABI Research, they will expand by a quarter from 2009 to 2014.