The misery index hit the worst level since May 1991, according to a new analysis released by the Campaign for America's Future. New jobless numbers jumped to a 5-year high of 6.1 percent, pushing the misery index to 11.7 percent. The index hit double digits in June 2008 for the first time since 1993.
Online TV viewing has been gaining in popularity. Nearly one-fifth of American households who use the internet watch television broadcasts online, double the viewership from 2006, The Conference Board and TNS report. The top two destinations for online broadcasts are the official TV channel homepage and YouTube.com.
comScore, Inc. reported that after a slower start, the United States has caught up with Western Europe in the adoption of 3G with 28.4 percent of American mobile subscribers having 3G devices versus 28.3 percent in the largest countries in Europe.
Asked if they preferred shopping on the Internet or in brick-and-mortar stores, the largest group of responding US online buyers (38%) said they used both channels about the same amount.
A new survey released by ethical beauty retailer, The Body Shop, indicates that in spite of the tough economic climate, ethics are as important, if not more important, than price with today's increasingly eco-conscious consumers.
Women presidents are leading growing businesses in 2008. Results from the surveyed membership indicate 70% of women presidents and CEOs of multi-million dollar companies predict their companies will maintain or grow revenues this year, according to the annual economic survey by the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), the premier peer advisory organization for women entrepreneurs.
Investor-owned power and gas companies spent more than $80 billion on capital investments in 2007, and at least $200 billion from 2005 through 2007, according to a report in the September issue of Public Utilities Fortnightly magazine.
The Chief Executive magazine's CEO Confidence Index rose by over 10 percent in August according to 292 top executives surveyed. The current CEO Confidence Index stands at 92.6, the highest since May 2008 when it was at 95.8. All component indices, which are used to track confidence in more targeted parts of the economy, rose in August as well.
