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Euro area retail business conditions continued to deteriorate in June, with sales, employment, purchasing of stock and margins all falling compared with May. The Bloomberg Euro-Zone Retail Purchasing Managers' Index ("PMI(R)"), based on a mid-month survey of more than 1,000 executives in the euro area retail sector that provides data one month ahead of government-issued figures, rose from 47.1 to 47.5 in June. Remaining below 50.0, the seasonally adjusted index pointed to a month-on-month fall in sales for the thirteenth successive month. The rate of contraction eased on May, and has recovered sharply from the record pace of decline seen last November. In fact, the average monthly decline over Q2 was the weakest since Q1 2008.

While the Obama administration's housing policy has been largely influenced by a study of the Boston housing market during the 1990-91 recession in which homes devalued by approximately 10 percent, new research suggests that a novel phenomenon is at hand in the fallout of today's more severe housing crisis - strategic default on mortgage loans. Given that homes in numerous parts of the country have lost more than 30 to 40 percent of their value, many homeowners say they would simply walk away from their loans - without fear of repercussion.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the Euro Area increased 1.9 percent in May to 95.4 (2004 = 100), following a 1.6 percent increase in April and no change in March. All of the components made positive contributions to the index this month.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the U.S. Department of Labor released 2008 results from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). This annual release of ATUS data focuses on the average amount of time per day in 2008 that individuals worked, did household activities, cared for household children, participated in educational activities, and engaged in leisure and sports activities.

CFOs, treasurers and their staff continued to earn larger raises than other white-collar workers during 2008. However, the people who manage finance at major organizations in North America were not exempt from the effects of the current recession as their salary increases were smaller than they had received in recent years. These are the key findings of the Association for Financial Professionals' (AFP's) 2009 Compensation Report.

With the start of summer, travel plans looming and news continuing about a slow-to-rebound economy, SunTrust Banks, Inc. released the results of the latest Solid Index - revealing that 40 percent of Americans' finances have kept them from achieving the things they want in life, while another 50 percent say they have recently spent less time or money on enjoyable activities because of money concerns. Despite this, Americans still maintained the same optimism felt in April's Solid Index when asked how "solid" they felt about the state of their personal finances.

Experimenting with flavors, flexibility and variety, confectionery makers are thinking outside the bar to provide consumers with chocolate and candy innovation that will drive consumer purchasing over the next five years, according to the National Confectioners Association's (NCA) Confectionery Industry Trend Report 2009. Even in economic uncertainty, the industry continues to post gains.

In a Huntington National Bank survey of more than 1,000 Americans, 77% said they had cut back on eating out, 72% said they had limited buying clothes and 49% said they no longer go to the movies in an effort to save money.

comScore, Inc. released its monthly analysis of U.S. consumer activity at the top online properties for May 2009 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. May saw online visitation surge at gift- related sites as Mother's Day and other seasonal events prompted many to search for gifts online. Coupon sites also witnessed strong growth as bargain-hunting remained a top priority for many Americans.

A new IBM study reveals that less than 20 percent of consumers trust food companies to develop and sell food products that are safe and healthy for themselves and their families. The study also shows that 60 percent of consumers are concerned about the safety of food they purchase, and 63 percent are knowledgeable about the content of the food they buy.