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The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had increased in November, rose again in December. The Index now stands at 52.9 (1985=100), up from 50.6 in November. The Expectations Index increased to 75.6 from 70.3 last month. The Present Situation Index, however, declined to 18.8 from 21.2 in November.

The weekly average rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for 30-year fixed mortgages increased sixteen basis points last week to 4.93 percent, up from 4.77 percent the week prior, according to the Zillow Mortgage Rate Monitor, compiled by leading real estate Web site Zillow.com®. Rates for 15-year fixed mortgages rose thirteen basis points to 4.37 percent from 4.24 percent, and 5-1 adjustable rate mortgages increased thirteen basis points to 3.98 percent, from 3.85 percent the week prior.

The holidays are a wonderful time full of having fun with friends and family and giving gifts to the people we care about. For many consumers, however, the joy of the season will soon be replaced by the stress of paying holiday debt.

As biodegradable plastics fall under the "green" category, they exhibit high potential for growth compared to other thriving environment-friendly technologies in the renewable energy and chemicals segments. Opportunities are proliferating in key application areas such as packaging/plastic bags, agriculture, consumer goods, electronics, automotive, and healthcare. Growth in this sector occurs due to factors such as climate change, favorable governmental measures, and green procurement policies practiced by governments as well as corporate entities. Stringent environmental regulations are driving the development of bio-based products and triggering the growth of the biodegradable plastics industry.

Total shipments of goods in the United States accounted for nearly $11.7 trillion in revenue and 12.5 billion tons in 2007, according to new data released jointly by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. That is up from $8.4 trillion and 11.7 billion tons in 2002.

As 2009 comes to a close, the majority of Americans are filled with significant uncertainty and anxiety about the state of the US economy - and its prospects for a quick recovery in the New Year.

eMarketer estimates that 2009 US retail e-commerce sales will come in at $131.4 billion, representing a slight annual decrease of 0.6%. By 2013 sales are expected to rise to $189.3 billion.

December new-vehicle retail sales are expected to increase substantially compared with one year ago, indicating the continuation of the industry's recovery, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which gathers real-time transaction data from more than 8,900 franchisees across the United States.

Standard & Poor's Equity Research has published semi-annual surveys for several industries, including Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco, Household Durables, Lodging & Gaming, General Retailing, Computers (Commercial Services and Consumer Services & the Internet), Investment Services, Pharmaceuticals, and Household Nondurables.

A new national poll shows strong support for "for-profit" education in this economic decline. The poll conducted by Lake Research Partners for Americans For Democratic Action Education Fund surveyed 1,000 adults with oversamples of 500 African Americans, 500 Latino/as, and 250 lower-income whites. The poll shows that "for-profit education empowers minority groups, and does not hinder them. People believe higher education is more critical now than ever to get ahead and support for-profit education as a way to make Obama's goal of increasing college graduates possible."