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The annual rate of growth of M3 decreased to 5.1% in March 2009, from 5.8% in February 2009. The three-month average of the annual growth rates of M3 over the period January 2009 - March 2009 decreased to 5.6%, from 6.4% in the period December 2008 - February 2009.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Mexico declined 0.5 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) for Mexico decreased 0.9 percent in February.

Between 2000 and 2008, EU27 exports of goods to Japan fell in value, from 45 bn euro to 42 bn, while EU27 imports from Japan decreased by nearly a fifth, from 92 bn to 75 bn. As a result, the EU27 deficit in trade with Japan was reduced from 47 bn in 2000 to 32 bn in 2008. The share of Japan in the EU27's total external trade in goods has fallen significantly between 2000 and 2008. In 2008, Japan accounted for 3% of EU27 exports and 5% of EU27 imports, and was the EU27's sixth most important trading partner.

The results of the April 2009 bank lending survey show that in the first quarter of 2009 the net percentage of banks reporting a tightening of credit standards on loans and credit lines to enterprises was 43%, which – while still reflecting a pronounced further net tightening – was 21 percentage points lower than in the fourth quarter of 2008. This could point to some stabilisation of the current tightening cycle. For the second quarter of 2009, the banks expect a further reduction of the overall net tightening to 28%. The most important driving forces behind the net tightening in the euro area continued to be expectations regarding general economic activity and the industry or firm-specific outlook.

In October 2008, 68.6 percent of 2008 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The World Bank said it was doubling its education financing this year in low- and middle-income countries to $4.09 billion to help poor countries battle threats to their education systems during the global economic crisis.

Most Baby Boomers, like their parents, are choosing to "age in place," but a large and growing number – more than 1.2 million households – are choosing to move to communities designed to meet their needs, according to a report released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI).

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index™, which had posted a slight increase in March, improved considerably in April. The Index now stands at 39.2 (1985=100), up from 26.9 in March. The Present Situation Index increased to 23.7 from 21.9 last month. The Expectations Index rose to 49.5 from 30.2 in March.

Bailouts, bonuses and bad business behavior all combined to erode the overall reputation of corporate America to its worst standing in ten years. Technology remains the highest rated industry, but its reputation declined along with six other industries, with the Automotive industry reporting the greatest decrease ever. The Financial Services industry now shares the lowest industry ranking with the Tobacco industry, with just 11% of the public giving positive ratings to these two industries. The Pharmaceutical industry was the only industry to register a significant positive change from 2007, according to the Harris Interactive RQ survey.

Consumer confidence in the overall economy decreased in April, according to figures released today by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and CNET. Although there was a slight decrease in consumer expectations about the future, the CEA-CNET Indexes painted a different picture for technology spending expectations, which reached their highest level this year.