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In December there were 3,541,200 online advertised vacancies, a rise of 6 percent from last December, according to The Conference Board Help-Wanted OnLine Data Series™. While this number is up from last year, it was down by 13 percent from the November level, mostly due to a downward seasonal pattern which began with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Merger and acquisition activity in 2007 reached record levels in a number of financial services sectors, Freeman & Co. LLC, a leading independent advisor to the financial services industry, announced.

Leading independent research and advisory firm, Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company, announced the release of its annual Top 10 Predictions report, Worldwide Manufacturing 2008 Top 10 Predictions, which examines macro industry trends, specific key process domains, and emerging business/technology initiatives for manufacturers in 2008. According to this new study, research shows larger manufacturing firms are deriving more than 60% of their profits from outside their home region. This revenue balance will help the industry offset any detrimental effects of an economic slowdown or potential recession within the U.S. market.

Economic confidence among small business owners is off slightly for December, down a half-point from the previous month, as small business owners expressed less confidence that economic conditions are getting better, either in the general economy or with their own businesses. At 92.7, the Discover Small Business Watch is down from 93.2 in November, a full 17 points lower than at the same time a year ago.

Thirty-one venture-backed initial public offerings totaling $3.0 billion in proceeds were issued in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the Exit Poll report by Thomson Financial and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA).

Existing-home sales rose slightly in November, indicating a stabilization in housing in the wake of mortgage disruptions earlier this year, according to the National Association of Realtors(R).

The euro has been introduced in Cyprus and Malta. The number of EU Member States that use the single European currency has now increased to 15. The European Central Bank (ECB) welcomes this further enlargement of the euro area.

Consumers not only care about the environment and shop accordingly, they are also willing to pay more for eco-friendly gifts.

Socially responsible outsourcing, global competition for talented employees and a power shift among outsourcing players will be among the key trends in the coming year, predicts the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP).

The tariffs of natural gas for public distribution will increase by an average of 0.173 euro cent/kWh on January 1st, 2008. This is the first change in rates since May 2006, whereas the price of oil has risen by 33% since that date, reaching 93 $/b in November 2007.