Rates for most mortgage products fell to new lows, but the average rate on the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate inched higher to 4.47 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.35 discount and origination points.
comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released data from the comScore Video Metrix service showing that 175 million U.S. Internet users watched online video content in September for an average of 14.4 hours per viewer. The total U.S. Internet audience engaged in more than 5.2 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month.
In August 2010 compared with July 2010, seasonally adjusted industrial production grew by 1.0% in the euro area (EA16) and by 0.8% in the EU27. In July production rose by 0.1% in both zones.
U.S. import prices fell 0.3 percent in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported, following a 0.6 percent increase the previous month. Declining fuel prices more than offset an increase in nonfuel prices. In contrast, the price index for U.S. exports rose 0.6 percent in September after a 0.8 percent rise in August.
A new Financial Times/Harris poll in the U.S. and the five largest European countries finds strong public support for increasing some renewable energy sources, particularly wind farms, provided that they are not asked to pay much more for it. However there is strong resistance to using more renewable energy if it leads to a substantial increase in costs. The public is much more evenly split on whether to build more nuclear power plants, except in Germany and Spain where substantial majorities oppose any expansion of nuclear power.
The annual growth rate of the outstanding amount of debt securities issued by euro area residents increased from 3.3% in July 2010 to 3.7% in August. For the outstanding amount of quoted shares issued by euro area residents, the annual growth rate was 1.7% in August 2010, the same as in July.
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.K. increased 0.1 percent, and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) remained unchanged in August.
Americans are seeing some real improvements this month, with economic difficulties continuing to decline, an improved retail picture, and modest gains in employment, according to the Consumer Reports Index for October.
Across Europe, there is a cautious hint of improvement, with external indicators such as business and consumer confidence reaching three year highs. The Index is beginning to mirror this sentiment as the annual growth rate for online hiring continues to accelerate. Compared to September 2009, job opportunities are now 21 percent higher and the Index is at its highest level since December 2008.
