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FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko’s), an operating company of FedEx Corp. released the results of its second annual Signs of the Times national small business survey. The findings show 54 percent of respondents were very concerned about the current economy’s impact on their business, up from 40 percent in 2008. Another 39 percent reported they were moderately concerned. Despite this anxiety, 75 percent of those polled were confident they will be open for business at this time next year and almost half (46 percent) said they would be willing to open another small business today if they had the proper financial backing.

Consumer attitudes toward diesel engines are becoming more favorable. According to the Morpace Powertrain Acceptance & Consumer Engagement (PACE) study, 62 percent of new vehicle owners feel that diesel powered vehicles have "gotten better" over the past 10 years. And more than one-third (35 percent) now say they will consider clean diesel technology for their next vehicle.

CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe warned that environmentally destructive and economically unsound projects, at a total cost of 23 billion euro, in the ten new EU member states of central and eastern Europe, may receive an 'un-smart' green light as the European Union seeks to rapidly deploy billions of euros to offset the worsening economic crisis.

Amid the growing concerns about the current economy, small business owners continue to recognize having a solid retirement plan as an important issue both personally and to their employees. This is according to survey results released by SunTrust Banks, Inc. Yet, despite this acknowledgement, almost 40 percent of small businesses do not offer retirement plan options to employees - citing affordability (90 percent), ease of use once the program is implemented (89 percent), ease of setting up a program (87 percent), fee transparency (87 percent) and quality and range of investment alternatives available (87 percent) as the main barriers.

Median weekly earnings of the nation's 100.4 million full-time wage and salary workers were $738 in the first quarter of 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This was 2.6 percent higher than a year earlier. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was unchanged over the same period.

Intense financial pressure during the economic crisis has led to an increase of fraud, according to a survey of fraud experts conducted by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Results of the survey, published in the new ACFE report "Occupational Fraud: A Study of the Impact of an Economic Recession," also found that layoffs are pervasive and are leaving holes in organizations' internal control systems.

Fitch Ratings expects further difficulties at the corporate and investment banking (CIB) units of France's leading banks to continue to compress revenues, while escalating loan impairment charges, already noted in Q408, will pose a growing problem for the sector in 2009. This is one the conclusions published in a special report.

Unspent funds of the EU economic recovery plan could be used for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, according to a political agreement reached between MEPs and the Czech Presidency.

Fitch Ratings says in a special report that it expects a material increase in the number of distressed European auto suppliers as the significant downturn in global auto markets places further pressure on liquidity profiles. This in turn could force car manufacturers and stronger Tier-1 suppliers to provide financial support to troubled suppliers to avoid more costly disruptions further up the auto supply chain.

The latest information from The NPD Group, Inc.’s Economy Tracker shows consumer confidence continues to decline, albeit slightly, while intent to spend at retail remains steady, indicating that consumers may have reached their cost cutting limits.