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The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell for the third time in four weeks, with the average rate dropping to 5.59 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.4 discount and origination points.

The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, which had increased in the first quarter of 2009, surged in the second quarter. The Measure improved to 55, up from 30 last quarter(a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses). The survey includes about 100 business leaders in a wide range of industries.

At the halfway point of 2009, private equity firms raised just over one-third the capital they were able to attract from pension funds, university endowments, foundations and other investors in the first half of 2008. According to new analysis by Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst, the first six months of 2009 saw 173 private equity funds raise $54.9 billion, 64% less than the $152.7 billion raised by 261 funds during the first half of 2008 and the lowest mid-year total raised since 2005.

A downshifted economy and volatility within the private sector have many job seekers shifting their focus to government jobs. According to a new CareerBuilder survey of more than 2,900 workers completed in June, 88 percent said they were interested in jobs within the public sector. Forty-one percent reported that they are interested in jobs within the Federal government, while 47 percent said they are interested in jobs within state and local government.

The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor fell for the first time in four months from 86.2 to 85.6 (based out of 100), as consumer attitudes toward the economy reversed course from the previous three months with more consumers expressing concern over the current state of the U.S. economy. Overall, 59 percent rated current economic conditions as poor, a 4-point increase from the previous month and the first increase since February.

After four years of strong growth, the Belgian economy entered a deep recession during the second half of 2008 under the impact of the international crisis. The economy was first affected by the turmoil in the banking sector and subsequently by the collapse in international trade. The government swiftly intervened to support the financial system and implemented a moderately sized fiscal stimulus package that is broadly appropriate for a small open economy with substantial fiscal sustainability problems. The main challenge ahead is to support the economy by allowing the automatic stabilisers to work while restoring the path towards fiscal sustainability and implementing structural reforms to enhance long-term growth.

According to a new survey from Credit.com, a third (33%) of consumers still say their card company has recently made some changes to a credit card account.

Banc of America Securities-Merrill Lynch Research has raised its global economic growth forecasts for 2010 to 3.7 percent from 3.2 percent, driven by signs of recovery in the United States and China.

Euro area (EA16) GDP fell by 2.5% and EU27 GDP by 2.4% during the first quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to second estimates from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In the fourth quarter of 2008, growth rates were -1.8% in both zones.

It is becoming increasingly likely that health care will be the straw that causes the U.S. Dollar to collapse. There is no doubt about it that health care costs are out-of-control in America. Unfortunately, most Americans are calling for the government to do something about astronomical health care costs, when the government is actually the cause of the crisis and will only make it much worse.