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Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 290,000 in April, the unemployment rate edged up to 9.9 percent, and the labor force increased sharply, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Job gains occurred in manufacturing, professional and business services, health care, and leisure and hospitality. Federal government employment also rose, reflecting continued hiring of temporary workers for Census 2010.

US venture capital (VC) investment in cleantech companies in Q1 2010 hit $733.3 million in 72 financing rounds, a 68% increase in capital and a 118% increase in deals compared to Q1 2009, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. Compared to Q4 2009, these results represent a 6% decline in funding and 1% decline in financing activity.

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month period ending March 2010 compared to the preceding three-month period. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and mobile operators in the U.S. according to their share of usage by current mobile subscribers age 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber's primary mobile phone. The March report found Samsung, Motorola and LG separated by a mere fraction of a percentage point of market share among handset manufacturers, while Verizon led among mobile operators with 31.1 percent market share.

Americans are beginning to shed their anxiety about the economy which has dominated consumer sentiment over the past two years, and are less pessimistic about both their local economies and job security, according to findings from the RBC Consumer Outlook Index. Driven by improving attitudes about the local economy, the RBC Consumer Outlook Index climbed to 72.7 in May 2010, up 8.1 points from April's 64.6 level. However, consumers remain very concerned about their personal finances and deeply skeptical about investing and the national economy.

Mortgage rates retreated, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate falling to 5.12 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.47 discount and origination points.

A new study shows America's foundations were swift, flexible and targeted in their response to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression – using on-the-ground knowhow to make a significant impact. The study from The Philanthropic Collaborative (TPC) is the first of its kind to analyze the private-sector response to the crisis and shows that the federal government's response was not the only story.

Consumer confidence rebounded in April, fueled by a distinct change of heart among 18- to 39-year-olds about the state of the U.S. economy, according to the Discover U.S. Spending Monitor.

FedEx Office, an operating company of FedEx Corp. released the results of its third annual Signs of the Times national small business survey, just ahead of National Small Business Week. The study found that small business owners are eager to lead the charge out of the country’s protracted recession – with almost three-quarters (72 percent) saying they will be the driving force behind the U.S. economic recovery in 2010. In fact, 51 percent of the small business owners polled say their businesses have already or will fully recover by the end of this year.

GlobalSpec, the leading specialized search engine, information resource, e-publishing and online events company for the engineering, industrial and technical communities, announced the availability of its newest research report, “2010 Economic Outlook Survey: How Industrial Companies can Succeed in the Current Economy.” The report features the results of a comprehensive survey of more than 2,000 engineering, technical, manufacturing and industrial professionals in the United States; 55 percent of whom influence more than $50,000 in annual spending on components, equipment or services.

Seventy-one percent of online investors said they believe the S&P 500 index will rise between 5-20 percent by year-end, according to a late April survey of more than 500 investors conducted by online broker TradeKing. This figure is up more than 5 percent since January 2010.