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The unemployment rate rose from 9.8 to 10.2 percent in October, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000), the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade.

When it comes to their retirement, America’s 50-somethings seem to be in a state of denial. Although the recent economic downturn has forced pre-retirees ages 50 to 59 to consider working years longer than they had hoped, their current rate of savings is unlikely to fund the retirement lifestyles they expect, according to fifth annual Retirement Fitness Survey from Wells Fargo & Company.

Nonfarm business sector labor productivity increased at a 9.5 percent annual rate during the third quarter of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. This was the largest gain in productivity since the third quarter of 2003, when it rose 9.7 percent. Labor productivity,
or output per hour, is calculated by dividing an index of real output by an index of hours of all persons, including employees, proprietors, and
unpaid family workers. Output increased 4.0 percent and hours worked decreased 5.0 percent in the third quarter of 2009.

While some economic experts believe that the recession is over, today’s job market remains dismal and small businesses – the largest employer group – fear the economy will not sustain the need for more employees, according to a recent poll by George S. May International.

Reports from the first days of November show that the housing market is still on shaky ground. According to the statistics from ForeclosureDataonline.com, real estate prices on the whole are down already for the first three days of November as compared with October's average. The foreclosure market appears strong however. It grew over this same period and shows the kind of steady growth that is apt to continue.

A new Harris Poll finds that the great majority of the public is satisfied with their lives, and that most people believe that their personal situation will improve over the next five years. The numbers who feel this way are lower today than they were in the last few years, but most Americans are still upbeat and optimistic in spite of the economic tough times and the increase in unemployment. Furthermore, a majority of Echo Boomers (aged 18-30), and pluralities of Gen X (aged 31-42) and Baby Boomers feel their present situation today is better than it was five years ago. Only among Matures (aged 62+) is there a plurality who feels that their situation has become worse.

The hedge fund industry, putting the frightening days of 2008 far behind them, are taking a series of steps to recapture assets. Addressing concerns over transparency, liquidity and fraud are top of the list announced in a new study published by TABB Group, the capital markets research and consulting firm.

The average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate was unchanged at 5.35 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.31 discount and origination points.

Commercial bankruptcies among the nation's more than 25 million small businesses increased by 44% from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009, according to Equifax Inc., which analyzes its comprehensive small business database for the on-going study.

Credit implications of pending greenhouse gas (GHG) legislation will be a mixed bag for U.S. energy and related sectors from a potential positive for natural gas producers to a serious challenge for domestic refiners, according to a new Fitch Ratings report. In 'Turning Up the Heat: Implications of Greenhouse Gas Legislation on Energy and Related Sectors' Fitch assesses the potential impact that pending GHG legislation could have across the energy, utilities, chemicals, and project finance sectors.