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Experian Automotive study finds hybrid car owners are more likely to buy another vehicle of the same make than buyers of any other vehicle class.

There was good news in July. The seemingly inexorable rise in prices of crude oil, wheat, rice, corn, and even some metals (copper especially) eased. After briefly going as high as $145/bbl, crude oil prices backed down to just under $120. Was this a temporary blip? Perhaps but more importantly, odds of the price hitting $200/bbl are certainly much lower now - even if this turns out to have been a brief respite. And whether prices stay down or go back up, more tires will remain inflated (said to help achieve better mileage), fewer miles will be driven, and some consumers have switched to mass transit and may not return to basic driving (getting to and from work or school or similar trips).

The Monster Employment Index France dropped in July by two points but remained up nine points or five percent on last year's figures. Production, manufacturing, maintenance and repair, saw the biggest drop in availability of online jobs compared to last month with a 10 percent reduction.

The reform of heat pricing and billing is a crucial part of overall heat reform, according to a report recently released by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program that builds on analytical and advisory work in China’s energy sector.

The gap between developed and developing countries has been a global concern for decades, but skyrocketing oil prices and the general growth of world markets threaten to widen the gap between the developing and least developed countries, particularly landlocked countries in regions with weak economic performance, according to a new report from The Conference Board.

The Monster Employment Index Europe held largely steady in July with a one point uptick due to strong growth in Germany offsetting broad declines elsewhere. Year-on-year growth was 19 points, or 13 percent, consistent with sustained expansion in the EU labour market but also marking the lowest growth reading since March 2007, a sign that European recruitment activity is decelerating·

China's trade surplus unexpectedly rose last month as producer prices jumped at their fastest rate in 12 years. The trade figures were good news: a 4% rise on July last year and a $US4 billion jump on June's low figures.

The Housing and Recovery Act of 2008 is going to affect more than first time home buyers, it will affect seniors too. When the President signed into law a $300 billion housing bill to help homeowners renegotiate their mortgages, reverse mortgage lenders reignited their marketing programs focusing on seniors, says Frank N. Darras, the nation's leading disability and Long-Term Care insurance lawyer.

At present, the retail market of China's car audio is still small in scale. However, along with rises in car owners' requirement for improvement of car audio quality and in pursuit of individuality, China's car audio market has a huge development potential.

With gasoline costs taking a big bite out of employees' paychecks, companies may want to take a second look at where and when employees work, notes CCH, a leading provider of human resources information and software and a part of Wolters Kluwer Law & Business.