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UEAPME, the European craft and SME employers' organisation, warmly welcomed the political agreement on the so-called "VAT package" reached by the ECOFIN Council in Brussels. UEAPME was pleased by the Council's support to the creation of a "one-stop-shop" scheme to simplify registration and declaration of VAT by businesses in their home country, which will also apply to activities carried out in other Member States. This will dramatically diminish bureaucracy, according to UEAPME, which was equally satisfied with the Council's choice to move taxation for VAT on services to the place where the customer is situated from the place where the supplier is located as is currently the case.

The Conference Board reports that the leading index for Japan decreased 0.2 percent, while the coincident index increased 0.5 percent in October.

Global Insight, the world's leading company for economic and financial analysis and forecasting, released the third quarter 2007 update of House Prices in America, the U.S. housing-valuation analysis, showing that prices for single-family homes declined for the first time since 1994, with California, Florida and Michigan accounting for the steepest losses. Prices fell at a 1% annualized rate during the quarter, though they were still up 1.8% year-over-year.

Between 2000 and 2006, EU27 exports of goods to Africa rose from 66 billion euro to 92 bn, while imports increased from 85 bn to 126 bn. The EU27 deficit in trade with Africa rose from 19 bn in 2000 to 35 bn in 2006, corresponding to 18% of the total EU27 external trade deficit. Africa accounted for around 9% of the EU27's total external trade in goods in 2006.

Fixed mortgage rates fell to the lowest level since Sept. 2005, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 6 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.35 discount and origination points.

Based on the findings of a new survey, Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services believes that American consumers' spending will grow during this Holiday season, albeit at a slower pace than seen over the past 10 years, despite their overall economic concerns.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported revised productivity data-as measured by output per hour of all persons-for the third quarter of 2007.

Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) Europe launched its guide to the AMS Directive at a members’ workshop with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Ofcom. The ‘Practical Guide’ aims to help the many mobile entertainment companies affected by the Directive understand both its impact and the potential opportunities it will create across the single market.

comScore, Inc. released an update of holiday season e-commerce spending covering the first 32 days (November 1 - December 2) of the November - December 2007 holiday season.

The Monster Employment Index fell five points in November, reflecting a broad decline in online job availability across industries, occupations, regions and local markets during the month.