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comScore, Inc. released an analysis of the Online Tax Preparation segment for the tax season ending April 18, 2012, which showed that the volume of tax returns or units filed online grew 11 percent from the previous year. Among online do-it-yourself (DIY) tax preparation providers, comScore data showed that Intuit continued to lead the market with nearly 60 percent of all tax units filed online through the end of the tax season. The three largest DIY online tax preparation providers (Intuit, TaxACT and H&R Block) accounted for more than 92 percent of DIY tax units filed online for the season.

Online advertised vacancies dipped 45,700 in May to 4,714,800, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Data Series. The Supply/Demand rate stands at 2.6 unemployed for every vacancy. In May the number of unemployed was 7.7 million above the number of advertised vacancies - compared to 10 million above in the fall of 2011.

Nearly one-third (31.4 percent) of U.S. homeowners with mortgages – or 15.7 million – were underwater on their mortgage in the first quarter of 2012, despite rising home values, according to the first quarter Zillow® Negative Equity Report. Collectively, underwater homeowners owed $1.2 trillion more than their homes were worth. Negative equity rose slightly from 31.1 percent in the fourth quarter, and declined from 32.4 percent one year ago.

Each year The Harris Poll asks a series of questions about Wall Street, which is defined to include "the nation's largest banks, investment banks, stockbrokers, and other financial institutions." Again, this year, there is a feeling among the American public that Wall Street has problems.

comScore, Inc. announced the U.S. launch of Mobile Metrix® 2.0, its next generation mobile behavioral measurement service. Mobile Metrix 2.0 brings comScore’s Unified Digital Measurement™ to smartphone devices, combining passive on-device measurement with census-level data to provide one of the most accurate and detailed views into actual U.S. mobile media usage across apps and mobile browsing.

Online advertised vacancies rose 90,900 in April to 4,760,500, according to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine® (HWOL) Data Series. The April rise is the fifth consecutive monthly rise and has led to the series’ highest level to date. The Supply/Demand rate stands at 2.7 unemployed for every vacancy, and the number of unemployed was 8 million above the number of advertised vacancies.

The average tenure of a CEO declined to 8.4 years in 2011 from approximately 10 years in 2000, according to the 2012 edition of CEO Succession Practices, a new report by The Conference Board, the global business research and membership organization.

The weekly audience of all forms of online radio is now at an estimated 76 million Americans age 12 and older, reaching 29 percent of the population and representing an increase of more than 30 percent from one year ago according to the new national survey from Arbitron Inc. and Edison Research, The Infinite Dial 2012: Navigating Digital Platforms.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index™ (ETI) decreased 0.18 percent in March to 107.28, down from the revised figure of 107.47 in February. The March figure is still up over 5 percent (5.2) from the same month a year ago.

The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence™, which had improved in the fourth quarter, increased further in the first quarter of 2012. The Measure now reads 63, up from 49 last quarter (a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses).