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In February 2009 compared with January 2009, the euro area (EA16) industrial new orders index fell by 0.6%. In January the index decreased by 2.0%. In the EU27 new orders declined by 1.4% in February 2009, after dropping by 3.5% in January. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders fell by 1.3% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU27.

The World Development Indicators (WDI) 2009 tells the story through comprehensive data of how developing countries benefited from a long period of prosperity which may now be set back due to the current crisis.

A text message sent from abroad in the EU will cost no more than €0.11 as of 1 July, instead of €0.28 today. The times where consumers had to expect "bill shocks" for downloading a picture or a movie with a mobile phone while roaming in the EU are over. The European Parliament, in its plenary session in Strasbourg, voted by a large majority in favour of new EU rules on SMS and data roaming, proposed by the European Commission in September 2008.

Crude oil is one of the main energy sources of the EU, and is likely continue to be for several decades. The Commission estimates that in 2030, European demand will be one third higher than it was in 2006, which is of concern as demand was already outstripping supply in 2006. Therefore, the European Parliament is calling on Member States to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil as a barrier to protect against any unexpected cuts in supply.

Even as many Americans hold a pessimistic view of the U.S. economy, there is a sign of rising optimism suggesting some may be seeing prospects for an end to the recession, according to a recent survey commissioned by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and conducted by Harris Interactive.

comScore, Inc. released its annual review of the online banking industry. The study, published in the April 2009 comScore State of Online Banking report, found that the number of online banking customers continued to grow strongly in 2008 despite the turbulent financial environment. The growth was fueled by banks' aggressive customer acquisition strategies and heightened financial interest among online banking customers wanting to keep a closer eye on their personal finances.

Unlimited computing power, computers mimicking the brain, mind-controlled wheelchairs and friendly robotic companions are part of a new European plan to boost visionary research, unveiled by the European Commission. With more investment and cooperation in high-risk research on future information technologies, Europe can lead the way in turning bright research ideas into future technologies. The Commission proposed to boost Europe's high-risk research into future technologies by doubling research investment at national and EU level in this area by 2015. The Commission will lead by example, increasing the current funding of € 100 million per year by 70% by 2013.

In 2008, the government deficit and government debt of both the euro area (EA16) and the EU27 increased compared with 2007. In the euro area the government deficit to GDP ratio increased from 0.6% in 20073 to 1.9% in 2008, and in the EU27 it increased from 0.8% to 2.3%. In the euro area the government debt to GDP ratio increased from 66.0% at the end of 2007 to 69.3% at the end of 2008, and in the EU27 from 58.7% to 61.5%.

RealtyTrac(R) released its Metropolitan Foreclosure Market Report for Q1 2009, which shows cities in California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona accounted for the 26 highest foreclosure rates in the first quarter among metro areas with a population of 200,000 or more.

Following months of bleak economic outlooks, Main Street CEOs feel the recession has finally bottomed out and the end is in sight. The Q1 2009 Vistage CEO Confidence Index rose to 60.6 this quarter from 48.7 last quarter, largely due to expectations that economic conditions will improve. Every component recorded gains over the prior quarter’s survey. Although this was the largest quarterly gain the index has seen in the last six years, it still left the Confidence Index at its second lowest quarterly reading in the survey’s history.