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If there is good news to come out of the current recession, it's that Americans might have a renewed focus on proper retirement planning, according to a new survey from COUNTRY Financial.

Despite the growing ranks of voluntarily uninsured Americans, 55 percent of small business owners have never directly asked employees if they want healthcare coverage, according to a survey of 1,046 U.S. small business owners by management consulting firm George S. May International.

According to the latest hotels.com Hotel Price Index(TM), the average price of a hotel room in the U.S. fell 17 percent in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. Room rates in the U.S. cost on average $115 a night during Q1 and Q2 2009, down from $139 the year before.

The weekly average rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for 30-year fixed mortgages decreased last week to 5.04 percent, down from 5.09 percent the week prior, according to the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor, compiled by leading real estate Web site Zillow.com®. Rates for 15-year fixed mortgages fell to 4.48 percent from 4.49 percent, and 5-1 adjustable rate mortgages fell to 4.02 percent, down from 4.06 the week prior.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Spain increased 0.9 percent. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) decreased 0.2 percent in July.

The first FindaProperty.com House Prices and Affordability Index, shows national UK asking prices moving into positive annual growth for the first time this year, with prices currently 512 pounds Sterling higher than a year ago. This is a result of six consecutive months of stable or positive monthly house price growth, as buyers take advantage of good value in the market with renewed confidence.

The non-profit Integrated Benefits Institute (IBI) released a preliminary result from a survey of more than 400 employers indicating that less than five percent plan to reduce or eliminate health and productivity programs. This flies in the face of recent reports that employers are likely to eliminate wellness programs as a cost-saving measure.

Food banks across the nation report that the current recession and the continuing rise in unemployment are having a profound effect on their ability to feed millions of Americans living at risk of hunger, according to a new survey released by Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger relief charity.

The economic situation has improved markedly since the second quarter, pointing to a better growth outlook for the second half of the year. But as economic activity at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009 was worse than initially estimated, GDP is still expected to fall by 4% overall this year in both the EU and the euro area, as forecast in the spring. However, uncertainty remains rife, and while the recovery may surprise on the upside in the very short term, how sustainable it will be remains to be seen. The Commission's forecasts for inflation in 2009 also remain unchanged at 0.9% in the EU and 0.4% in the euro area, with the base effects of past hikes in energy and food prices, which were pushing prices down, fading away and no other significant inflationary pressures in view.

A report from the Economics of Climate Adaptation Working Group indicates that climate risks could cost nations up to 19% of their GDP by 2030, with developing countries most vulnerable. The report concludes, however, that cost effective adaptation measures already exist that can prevent between 40 and 68 percent of the expected economic loss with even higher levels of prevention possible in highly target geographies.