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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for France increased 0.6 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) decreased 0.2 percent in April.

As today’s economic environment puts pressure on older homeowners to find new sources of retirement income and stretch their savings, growing numbers are starting to tap their housing wealth, using home-equity loans or reverse mortgages. However, with little guidance, they are often unsure about how to include this asset as an integral part of their financial strategy, rather than as a last resort. Tapping Home Equity in Retirement: The MetLife Study on the Changing Role of Home Equity and Reverse Mortgages, issued today by the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) and the National Council on Aging (NCOA), calls for a more comprehensive approach to ensure that this asset is used appropriately and effectively to deal with the growing uncertainties of retirement.

U.S. economic woes and stock market volatility have prompted changes in the investment and social behaviors of high-net-worth Americans, according to a new survey of CPA Personal Financial Specialists conducted by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

With many insurers and financial institutions looking to fund potential capital shortfalls by divesting non-core insurance businesses at attractive valuations, strategic buyers and sovereign wealth funds may be able to expand into new markets through acquisition, according to Deloitte's The 2009 Insurance M&A Outlook: Opportunity in an Uncertain Environment.

While President Obama, Congress, and the American people debate financial regulatory reform, foreclosures continue to mount as embattled housing markets bump along the bottom.

The investment management industry should work to rebuild trust with investors through a 'back-to-basics' client relationship approach, combining improved communication and education, increasing knowledge sharing, and bolstering corporate governance and risk management transparency, reports a new investment management survey entitled: "Renewing the Promise: Time to mend relationships in Investment Management". KPMG International commissioned Datamonitor to undertake the research.

The overall tax-to-GDP ratio in the EU27 was 39.8% in 2007, a slight increase from 39.7% in 2006. The EU27 tax ratio, which stood at 40.6% in 2000, fell to 38.9% by 2004 and then started to rise.

Charles Schwab, in collaboration with CFO Research Services, released the details of a new study “Getting Retirement Savings Back on Track: Employer Views on the 401(k) and Financial Education in the Workplace,” which reveals that a majority of senior finance and human resource executives in corporate America support the 401(k) as an effective savings tool for retirement. According to the study, employers believe they play a role in improving the 401(k) as a benefit for employees, including making 401(k)-specific and general financial education more available in the workplace.

After five months in office, there may be a small bump in the road for President Obama as Americans appear to be a little more negative towards him. While his job approval is still strong with 54% of U.S. adults giving him positive ratings and 46% giving the president negative marks. This is down from last month, where three in five Americans (59%) gave President Obama positive job ratings while two in five (41%) gave him negative job ratings.

Globally, the largest market for bio-diesel is the European Union. The EU's commitment to achieve a reduction in CO2 emissions by 8.0 percent between 2008 and 2012 has resulted in the setting of a target of 5.75 percent bio-fuels of all transportation fuel by December 2010 and 10 percent by 2020. Though the United States is a smaller market, it is witnessing rapid growth in terms of both new bio-diesel capacities coming on-stream as well as increased consumption of bio-diesel. Markets in Latin America, especially Argentina and Brazil, are also developing strongly.