Menu

A macroeconomic indicator, SpendingPulse reports on national retail and services sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for all other payment forms, including cash and check. MasterCard SpendingPulse does not represent MasterCard financial performance. SpendingPulse is provided by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide.

Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and a slow recovery, deal activity increased slightly, according to Ernst & Young's Transaction Advisory Services (TAS). Global merger-and-acquisition (M&A) deal volume was up 3% in 2010 so far, hitting $1.9 trillion in value but significantly below the all-time yearly high of $4.7 trillion recorded in 2007.

Holiday shopping is over and the New Year's Eve plans are made. It's also the time of year when people look back and look forward and, this year many are probably thinking more of the economic year that was and the one that will be. President Obama is also probably thinking ahead to the economic future and his handling of the economy. At the end of his second year in office, just three in ten Americans (30%) give him positive ratings on the job he is doing on the economy while seven in ten (70%) give him negative ratings.

Employers took 1,586 mass layoff actions in November involving 152,816 workers, seasonally adjusted, as measured by new filings for unemployment insurance benefits during the month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Each mass layoff involved at least 50 persons from a single employer. The number of mass layoff events in November decreased by 65 from the prior month, while the number of associated initial claims increased by 4,757. In November, 354 mass layoff events were reported in the manufacturing sector, seasonally adjusted, resulting in 39,465 initial claims. Over the month, the number of manufacturing events decreased slightly, while associated initial claims increased by 2,027.

When it comes to their jobs, one-quarter of Americans are most thankful for job stability this holiday season, according to data released in a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Heald College. The survey asked employed Americans to identify what they were most grateful for in their work life – other than pay.

In the case of new or used car purchases or leases, Autobytel’s most recent What’s Hot Now report reveals that consumers are looking to lease or buy a car out of necessity over the next 12 months, even though they may not have increased confidence in the economy.

comScore, a leader in measuring the digital world, reported holiday season retail e-commerce spending for the first 49 days of the November – December 2010 holiday season. For the holiday season-to-date, $28.36 billion has been spent online, marking a 12-percent increase versus the corresponding days last year. The most recent week (week ending Dec. 19) reached $5.5 billion in spending, an increase of 14 percent versus the corresponding week last year. The final shopping weekend before Christmas reached $900 million in retail e-commerce spending, representing a strong 17-percent growth rate versus last year.

A third of America’s small business owners are using smart phones these days, and most of them are putting the devices to work for business needs beyond e-mail and phone calls, according to a recent survey from Discover.

Findings from a new GfK Roper Poll, conducted on behalf of SapientNitro, part of Sapient, demonstrate that American consumers are increasingly empowered by their mobile devices when it comes to researching products and finding the best prices while holiday shopping.

Mortgage rates pulled back slightly this week, with the average rate on the benchmark conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate receding to 4.96 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.46 discount and origination points.