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A macro-economic 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 certain other payment forms, such as cash and check. MasterCard SpendingPulse does not represent MasterCard financial performance. SpendingPulse is provided by MasterCard Advisors, the professional services arm of MasterCard Worldwide.

Four in 10 U.S. workers are planning to delay their retirement, according to a survey of nearly 9,100 employees by global professional services company Towers Watson. Moreover, a vast majority of workers are prepared to spend less in retirement and are willing to pay more now for greater certainty in their future retirement and health benefits.

Economic activity in the non-manufacturing sector grew in September for the ninth consecutive month, say the nation’s purchasing and supply executives in the latest Non-Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®.

According to a recent survey by BDO USA, LLP, one of the nation’s leading accounting and consulting firms, chief financial officers (CFOs) at leading U.S. retailers expect a 1.95 percent increase in overall sales for 2010. Forty-seven percent of CFOs anticipate their total sales revenue for 2010 to increase over 2009, and 30 percent of CFOs say their sales will be about the same. Only 21 percent of CFOs project a decrease in total sales for 2010, which is a more conservative outlook than 2009 (60%).

Kronos® Incorporated announced the October release of the Kronos Retail Labor Index™, a family of metrics and indices that analyze the relationship between the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, and provide a distinct and early indicator of the overall state of the economy. The October report includes data for September 2010.

The growth rate for small business employment continued rising in September, but at a slower rate than the revised growth rate for August. At the same time, hours worked and compensation remained essentially flat compared to last month. Those were among the findings included in the latest Intuit Inc. Small Business Employment Index.

ThomasNet’s newest Industry Market Barometer™ (IMB) shows North America’s industrial/manufacturing sector surging forward, accelerating the momentum of its recovery with the promise of further expansion to come. Several key indicators all demonstrate a sector that’s “caught on fire”—taking into account more company growth, fewer business declines, a resumption of hiring, a winding down of layoffs, and new investments.

Chrome ® Systems Inc., a subsidiary of DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. and an industry leader in managing automotive data, announced the results of the 2010 Chrome Consumer Survey, which highlights significant shifts in the way consumers are researching and purchasing vehicles in 2010 compared to the previous year.

Feeling the squeeze of the economic downturn, three out of four 401(k) participants (72 percent) are likely not on track to meet retirement goals based on their current 401(k) balance, plan contributions, and projected Social Security, according to a new report by Financial Engines, America’s largest independent registered investment adviser. Of that 72 percent, Financial Engines projects that the typical participant will be able to replace only 45 percent of their pre-retirement income, compared to a 70 percent goal. On a positive note, however, the report showed that participants in plans with automatic enrollment and Qualified Default Investment Alternatives (QDIAs) are better off than those without.

comScore, Inc. released a report on mobile application and browser usage among Smartphone subscribers based on data from its comScore MobiLens service. The study found that the number of Smartphone users accessing mobile content through browsers and applications now surpasses that of Non-smartphone users. In the 3 month average ending August 2010, Smartphone subscribers made up 60 percent of those who used a downloaded application and 55 percent of those who used a browser. The study also described the demographic profile and top content categories for Smartphone subscribers accessing applications and browsers.