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Consumer confidence fell last week to the lowest level in nine months as the cost of fuel pinched U.S. household budgets.

Employees enrolled in employer-sponsored defined contribution retirement plans consider themselves heavily reliant on their plans for their future financial security – but at the same time, employees are demanding much more help from the plans when it comes to understanding and managing the financial realities of life during retirement. Those are among the key findings of two nationwide surveys of American workers participating in defined contribution (DC) plans and American corporations sponsoring these plans, released today by BlackRock, Inc.

Private nonfarm business sector multifactor productivity increased at a 3.2 percent annual rate in 2010, the largest increase recorded in this series which began in 1987, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The multifactor productivity gain in 2010 reflected a 3.7 percent increase in output and a 0.5 percent increase in the combined inputs of capital and labor. Capital services grew by 0.6 percent, the smallest gain in the series which began in 1987. The combination of fast-rising output and a modest increase in capital services caused output per unit of capital services to jump 3.0 percent, the largest gain since the series began in 1987. Labor input, the combined effect of hours worked and labor composition, increased 0.5 percent in the private nonfarm business sector after falling in the previous two years.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.S. declined 0.3 percent in April to 114.0 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent increase in March, and a 0.9 percent increase in February.

U.S. employers can expect to see healthcare costs rise by 8.5 percent in 2012, compared with an increase of 8 percent in 2011, according to the annual Behind the Numbers report on medical cost trends, published by PwC's Health Research Institute. However, mitigating changes in health benefit plan designs, including increased cost-sharing with employees, could keep employers' costs increases to an average of 7 percent next year. Meanwhile, American workers are beginning to show signs of post-recession stress and the effects of delayed care taking a toll on their health.

New findings from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index® (WBI) show that Americans over age 65 are experiencing the highest overall well-being. The report shows that as Americans age, there is a steady increase in healthy behaviors, work environment satisfaction and basic access to necessities peaking with those over 65. Older Americans are also thriving in the area of emotional health and are reportedly less sad and depressed than any other age group. They are falling slightly behind other age groups in life evaluation and physical health.

Advertisements for job openings in higher education rose 40.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 from a year earlier and even exceeded pre-recession levels, according to a new report from HigherEdJobs, the leading source for jobs and career information in academia.

Retailers are paying close attention to consumer behavior this year as climbing sales indicate consumers are spending more freely, according to a study by BDO USA, LLP, a leading accounting and consulting organization. The RiskFactor Report for Retail Businesses, which examines the risk factors listed in the most recent SEC 10-K filings of the largest 100 public U.S. retailers, found consumer confidence and spending is less of a concern this year as it fell from the fifth most cited risk factor in 2010 to the 11th. Retailers are more concerned over consumer demand and interest (87%), a jump from 2010 (63%), as they shift their focus to gaining the consumers’ attention with attractive merchandise offerings. Despite general economic conditions remaining the top risk (97%), the decline in risks associated with consumer spending indicates retailer confidence in the recovery is increasing.

One size does not fit all when it comes to enticing online shoppers to buy, according to a new consumer survey released from SteelHouse.

U.S. chief financial officers (CFOs) of middle-market companies are becoming more positive on the state of the industries in which they operate, as well as on the outlook for growth, according to the latest GE Capital survey of middle-market CFOs. In fact, their level of optimism has increased substantially since they were first surveyed in January 2010.