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Deficit hawks criticize the administration and the Democrats for excessive spending and the huge budget deficit. Many Liberals and Keynesian economists have argued that we need more stimulus spending to reduce unemployment and get the economy moving faster. A new Harris Poll looks at public opinion on this issue. It finds that almost two-thirds of all adults think it more important now, to create more jobs than control the deficit. Looking to the future, two-thirds of the public also believe that, over the next five years, deficit reduction should be a higher priority than creating more jobs. However, and this may be the most important finding, less than a quarter of the public believes that increased government spending actually creates new jobs.

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), the trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, reported that passenger revenue, based on a sample group of carriers, rose 4.5 percent in February versus the same month in 2009, marking the second consecutive month of revenue growth.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is currently 4.80 percent, up two basis points from 4.78 percent compared to this same time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose over the weekend, with a Sunday spike at 4.88 percent, before coming down on Monday.

Most consumers (76 percent) say their snacking habits have changed in some way during the past two years, reports a new study by foodservice industry consultant Technomic. More than one-half of consumers snack at least once a day. About one-fifth of consumers (21 percent) say they are snacking more frequently now, and more than one-third (35 percent) say they are choosing healthier options than they were two years ago.

While declining values, debt maturity and tight credit access, and stalled construction may continue to plague commercial real estate in the United States for the remainder of 2010, economic indicators point towards the potential for economic recovery this year. For investors, this environment reveals a window of opportunity in 2010 when investment in distressed assets may prove to be opportune, according to Deloitte's Perspectives on Real Estate: Uncovering Opportunity in a Distressed Market.

Unemployment rates were higher in January than a year earlier in 363 of the 372 metropolitan areas, lower in 7 areas, and unchanged in 2 areas, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Thirty-five areas recorded jobless rates of at least 15.0 percent, while 2 areas registered rates below 5.0 percent. The national unemployment rate in January was 10.6 percent, not seasonally adjusted, up from 8.5 percent a year earlier. Among the 371 metropolitan areas for which nonfarm payroll data were available, 346 areas reported over-the-year decreases in employment, 24 reported increases, and 1 remained unchanged.

Colliers International, a leading global real estate services firm, issued its 2010 Retail Trends and Opportunities report. Per Colliers' report, while retail vacancies will stabilize in many markets, we're not out of the woods yet, as new retail construction has virtually disappeared and lease rates have dropped 25-40 percent from peak levels.

New-vehicle buyers are returning to dealer showrooms in March, lured by incentives, after recall news and bad weather kept them away in February. As a result, March new-vehicle retail sales are projected to increase by 25 percent, compared with the same period one year ago, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which gathers real-time transaction data from more than 8,900 retail franchise points across the United States. Retail transactions are the most accurate measurement of true underlying consumer demand for new vehicles.

comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, released its monthly analysis of U.S. Web activity at the top-growing properties and site categories for February 2010 based on data from the comScore Media Metrix service. Valentine's Day celebrations sent millions of Americans to Personals, e-Cards, and Gifts Sites as they planned for the occasion, while millions also flocked to tax sites as the April 15 filing deadline inched closer.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.1 percent, The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) increased 0.1 percent and The Conference Board Lagging Economic Index® (LAG) increased 0.3 percent in February.