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Marakon, a Charles River Associates, company, released its research on the banking industry. In the report, “How Healthy Are The Banks? Time To Focus on Value,” Marakon analyzes the banking system and suggests near-term strategic priorities and fundamental changes that will help banks deliver sustainable value growth in 2010 and beyond.

Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 1.9% in the year to February 2010, down from 2.1% in January. This small decrease in inflation rates mainly reflected the slowing down of energy prices, which increased by 8.4% in February, compared with 10.6% in January.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had decreased in February, rebounded in March. The Index now stands at 52.5 (1985=100), up from 46.4 in February. The Present Situation Index increased to 26.0 from 21.7. The Expectations Index improved to 70.2 from 62.9 last month.

The EU is the world's largest economy, with enough international clout to return to "real capitalism" rather than resign itself to an alien "financial capitalism", concluded MEPs and experts at a public hearing held on Thursday by Parliament's special committee on the crisis.

The global economic recovery has run out of steam, reveals ACCA's (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) latest Global Economic Conditions survey, with confidence taking a hit and a return to solid economic growth moving further away.

RONIN has polled nearly 1,500 companies across twelve countries on how the recession is impacting their companies and it reveals that there has been little change in sentiment in the past 12 months. Throughout the period, 87% of companies have been negatively impacted, with 48% being "strongly" or "extremely" negatively impacted.

Consumer confidence in consumer electronics climbed in March as confidence in the overall economy continued to drop, according to the latest figures released today from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® and CNET.

Regional and state unemployment rates were little changed or slightly higher in February. Twenty-seven states recorded over-the-month unemployment rate increases, 7 states and the District of Columbia registered rate decreases, and 16 states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the year, jobless rates increased in 46 states and the District of Columbia and declined in 4 states. The national unemployment rate in February, 9.7 percent, remained unchanged from January, but was up from 8.2 percent a year earlier.

According to a new survey, social responsibility remains a high priority for consumers, regardless of the recession. The second annual Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions Survey, conducted by research-based consultancy Penn Schoen Berland in partnership with brand consulting firm Landor Associates and strategic communications firm Burson-Marsteller, analyzed consumer views of companies operating across 14 industries ranging from Apparel to Telecommunications. The survey finds that more than 75 percent of consumers say that it is important for companies in each of the industries tested to be socially responsible.

There is little spring optimism in the hearts of more than half of America’s small business owners, who see conditions for their businesses getting worse in the next six months, according to the Discover® Small Business WatchSM. After some upward trends for most of last summer and into the fall, Discover’s monthly check on the pulse of small business owners measured 75.7 in March, down 9.2 points from February and back to the levels of a year ago.