Driven by a slowly recovering national economy, equity investors enter the new decade with the likelihood of averaging single-digit returns and modest inflation over the next seven years. This is the bottom-line conclusion of Wilmington Trust’s 2010-2016 Capital Markets Forecast, the new installment of the company’s annual long-term outlook for the financial markets.
Thirty-year fixed mortgage rates on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace are currently 4.87 percent, up two basis points from 4.85 percent at this time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rates hovered between 4.80 and 4.90 percent for most of the past week, peaking just above 4.90 percent on Sunday.
Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 1.9% in the year to December 2009, compared with a rise of 1.3% in November 2009. Month-on-month, prices remained stable in December, compared with a rise of 0.1% in November 2009.
Europeans are on average broadly satisfied with their personal situation, but less satisfied when it comes to the economy, public services and social policies in their country, according to an opinion survey. The Eurobarometer on the social climate in the EU also found large differences between countries, with people in the Nordic countries and the Netherlands generally most satisfied with their personal situation.
Compensation costs for civilian workers increased 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, for the 3-month period ending December 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Both components of compensation - wages and salaries (which make up about 70 percent of compensation) and benefits (which make up the remaining 30 percent of compensation) - increased the same amount, 0.5 percent.
In December 2009 compared with November 2009, the industrial producer price index rose by 0.1% in the euro area (EA16) and remained stable in the EU27. In November, prices increased by 0.2% in both zones.
Online advertised vacancies rose by 382,000 to 4,024,000 in January, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine™ (HWOL) Data Series. The January rise follows a large 255,000 increase in December and a 107,000 rise in November.
While consumers appeared to be feeling better about the U.S. economy in January, media sentiment was at best mixed as the Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) for the month remained flat at 38.8, up only very slightly from December's 38.7. This represents the second consecutive weak performance for the ESI after relatively strong gains in October and November. The ESI's weakness runs counter to stronger than expected increases in two leading consumer-based economic indicators.
As the economic recovery slowly continues, consumers would like to learn more about how to gain a solid financial footing. Specifically, they are asking their financial institutions how they can raise their credit scores, reduce debt and build their savings. That’s according to the results from a financial literacy survey Wolters Kluwer Financial Services conducted with 175 banks, credit unions and mortgage lenders in December 2009.
Half of U.S. oil and gas senior executives expect to increase employment this year and two-thirds believe that the recession burdening 2009 will end this year, according to Grant Thornton LLP’s eighth annual Survey of Upstream U.S. Energy Companies.
