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One in every three employees of companies in the United Kingdom and the United States is very fearful of losing his or her job, and a staggering 98 percent of employees in the UK report having some level of fear about their job security, according to a recent survey by change management consulting firm Stromberg Consulting and conducted by Braun Research. Yet in an interesting twist, on the surface, data suggest productivity may be up overall: 40 percent in the UK and more than half of those fearful in the US say they are working harder as a result.

Will G8 leaders this week pull off a getaway in which they take the money pledged to developing nations in Africa, and run with it? In a cruel mimicry of "The Italian Job" movie, it appears a heist is already being planned as Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, the group's chairman, arranges a getaway under the cover of a new approach toward aid, Christian humanitarian agency World Vision warns.

More than 90% of consumers across the five major European markets - the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain-share an interest in health, according to a new study by TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health Company. European woman are significantly more concerned with health than men, with 95% of females expressing interest in health issues vs. 89% of males. Age also makes a difference, with 55% of those older than 55 expressing an interest in health vs. just 44% of those between 18 and 24.

PMI Mortgage Insurance Co., released its Second Quarter 2009 Economic and Real Estate Trends Report, and its widely cited U.S. Market Risk Index(SM). The quarterly report projects the likelihood that the nation's housing prices will be lower in two years. As many as 324 - approximately 85% - of the nation's 381 MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) are now facing increased risk of lower home prices in 2011. Florida, California, Nevada and Arizona continue to have the highest risk scores - 36 of the most risky MSAs are located in these four states - but an increased risk of lower future prices is now spreading across all regions of the nation, due to the significant increases in unemployment and foreclosure rates.

On the last business day of May job openings in the U.S. numbered 2.6 million, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. The hires rate at 3.0 percent in May was at the lowest point since the series began in December 2000. The total separations rate at 3.3 percent declined over the month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region.

Seven more U.S. banks were seized by regulators on July 2, 2009, pushing this year's total bank failures to 52 as a result of rising losses on home mortgages, commercial real estate loans, and defaults on consumer credit cards. Even more startling is that bank closures barely make the news these days.

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that European prices of 170 best-selling drugs averaged 40 percent less than U.S. prices in 2008. Within Europe prices varied substantially, from an average of 55 percent of U.S. prices in Italy to 70 percent of U.S. prices in Germany. European prices for biologics averaged 86 percent of U.S. prices.

The European Commission unveiled a blueprint for an EU-wide method for classifying and reporting consumer complaints, inviting public comments on the proposal. The number of consumer complaints is a key indicator of market health. About half of European consumers who are dissatisfied with how their original complaint was handled by a trader turn to a third party such as a consumer organisation or regulator for help.

The weekly average rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for 30-year fixed mortgages decreased last week to 5.40 percent, down from 5.48 percent the week prior, according to the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor, compiled by leading real estate Web site Zillow.com(R). Meanwhile, rates for 15-year fixed mortgages fell to 4.79 percent from 4.87 percent, and 5-1 adjustable rate mortgages also fell to 4.49 percent, down from 4.65 the week prior.

The idea that large numbers of Americans are declaring bankruptcy due to medical expenses is a myth and the introduction of government-run health insurance in the U.S. will do nothing to reduce personal bankruptcies, concludes a new study from the Fraser Institute.