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China's apparent oil demand in March was 38.96 million metric tons (mt), or an average of 9.2 million barrels per day (b/d), according to a Platts analysis based on recent figures published by the Chinese government. In metric tons, this is an increase of 10.5% year over year, as the world's second largest oil consumer's usage continued to grow unabated.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.4 percent in March to 114.1 (2004 = 100), following a 1.0 percent increase in February, and a 0.2 percent increase in January.

The spring season is supposed to be a time of renewal and hope. For President Obama and Congress, the winter was rough and spring hasn't been much better with a heated budget showdown and talk of a potential government shutdown. While it may be expected at this point, Americans do not like seeing their elected officials spar so bitterly and this is reflected in lower job ratings across the board. For President Obama, more than three in five U.S. adults (62%) give him negative ratings on the overall job he is doing while 38% give him positive marks. This is down from last month when 39% of Americans gave the President positive ratings and 61% negative. This month marks the President's lowest ratings this year.

Unrest in North Africa and the Middle East, coupled with the disaster in Japan, threatens the sustainability of the global economic recovery, but the momentum of growth is thought to be strong enough in most regions to absorb the shocks. However, global economic growth projections are being reduced, dropping to around 4% for 2011. Despite the fact that short-term oil and gas supply and demand remains relatively balanced, oil prices have gone up in anticipation of supply shocks.

Consumer sentiment toward retail banks appears to have reversed its historical downward slide, increasing in 2011 for the first time since 2007, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study(SM).

Despite concerns about the impact of rising health care costs on their businesses and employees, only one in six employers (16.3 percent) say they favor a federally tax-funded universal health care system, according to the 2011 UBA Benefit Opinions Survey.

Over the past six months UK small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have grown on average by six per cent despite the broader UK economy struggling, according to the latest SMB Index from HP.

Mortgage rates dropped below the 5 percent mark, with the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 4.96 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.44 discount and origination points.

Lingering cash and debt management challenges continue to dilute employee confidence and overall financial wellness. Almost half (49 percent) of working American adults find it difficult to meet their household expenses on time (up from 43 percent in 2010), according to PwC U.S.'s 2011 Financial Wellness Survey, and even those earning $100,000 or more annually say it's a challenge (36 percent).

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in March. Thirty-four states recorded unemployment rate decreases, seven states registered rate increases, and nine states and the District of Columbia had no change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, five states reported increases, and one state had no change. The national jobless rate was 8.8 percent in March, little changed from February but 0.9 percentage point lower than a year earlier.