Menu

The world's leading hedge funds managers are more concerned about attracting and retaining talented people and managing growth than anything else, according to new research - Navigating New Complexities - published by Ernst & Young.

Although some European countries lead the world in broadband access, there is a growing gap between the best and worst performers, according to a report presented by the European Commission. Lack of competition and regulatory weaknesses are cited as the main obstacles to broadband growth. The Commission will address these shortcomings in its proposals to reform the EU's Telecom Rules on 13 November.

Three out of every 10 U.S. consumers improved their credit score by up to 50 points in a six-month period from January to June 2007, according to the latest National Score Index(R) study by Experian Consumer Direct(SM), the leading provider of online direct-to-consumer credit reports, scores and monitoring products.

The COUNTRY Financial Security Index continued it's upward swing in October, rising 1.3 points to 69.9, as Americans felt more confident in nearly all aspects of their financial security. The latest boost took the Index to its second highest reading of the year, just short of the 70.2 recorded in February.

The Producer Price Index for Finished Goods increased 1.1 percent in September, seasonally adjusted, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported. This advance followed a 1.4-percent decrease in August and a 0.6-percent rise in July. The index for finished goods excluding foods and energy moved up 0.1 percent in September after increasing 0.2 percent in August. At the earlier stages of processing, prices received by producers of intermediate goods turned up 0.4 percent after declining 1.2 percent a month earlier, and the crude goods index rose 0.1 percent following a 3.0-percent drop in August.

Fitch Ratings has said in a new report that the five major Italian banks performed strongly in H107, making them well placed for a more turbulent H207. The report analyses the performance of the major Italian banks for H107 and provides an outlook for the full year results.

This holiday season consumers will spend more than $35 billion on gift cards, according to Archstone Consulting.

Same-store sales growth fell in September to 1.3% from the month before and the prior year, according to TNS Retail Forward.

Close to 16 percent of American households who use the internet watch television broadcasts online, The Conference Board and TNS report. The number of consumers viewing entire episodes/shows on the internet has doubled from a year ago.

The falling U.S. dollar is the number one worry of U.S. investors, according to an investor survey conducted by Weiss Research's MoneyandMarkets.com.