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The EU27 external current account recorded a deficit of 43.2 billion euro in the second quarter of 2011, compared with a deficit of 33.1 bn in the second quarter of 2010.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index® (LEI) for the U.K. increased 0.3 percent, and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI) remained unchanged in July.

In August 2011, Producer Price Index (PPI) for manufactured goods rose by 0.1 percent over last month, and increased 7.3 percent year-on-year. The purchasing price index for manufactured goods rose 0.2 percent over last month, and soared 10.6 percent year-on-year. From January to August 2011, the year-on-year PPI increased 7.1 percent, and the purchasing price index for manufactured goods surged 10.4 percent.

In August, the consumer price index went up by 6.2 percent year-on-year. The prices grew by 5.9 percent in cities and 6.7 percent in rural areas. The food prices went up by 13.4 percent while the non-food prices increased by 3.0 percent. The prices of consumer goods went up by 7.3 percent and the prices of services grew by 3.4 percent. In August, the month-on-month change of consumer prices was up by 0.3 percent. Of which, prices in cities and rural went up by 0.3 percent simultaneously. The food prices grew by 0.6 percent while the non-food prices increased by 0.2 percent. The prices of consumer goods rose by 0.3 percent, and the prices of services went up by 0.2 percent.

According to the latest Citibank small business survey, the majority of small business owners believe they are poised to grow or are already in growth mode. Forty nine percent say they are “holding their own, but poised to grow when the climate is right” and 28 percent indicated they are already growing. Despite feeling as though they are primed to grow should the opportunity present itself, the vast majority (90%) of small business owners remain concerned about the economy, including the possibility of a double-dip recession. The results also show an increasing trend in small businesses feeling more prepared to withstand longer-term challenges.

There were 3.2 million job openings on the last business day of July, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The hires rate (3.0 percent) and separations rate (3.0 percent) were essentially unchanged over the month. This release includes estimates of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the nonfarm sector by industry and by geographic region.

New hunger data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that 14.5 percent of American households suffered from food insecurity in 2010. Although the figures are virtually unchanged from 2009 (14.7 percent) and 2008 (14.6 percent), they are still the highest on record since the USDA first began publishing food insecurity data. Nearly one in five children lives in households that struggle to put food on the table.

Economic recovery appears to have come close to a halt in the major industrialised economies, with falling household and business confidence affecting both world trade and employment, according to new analysis from the OECD. Growth remains strong in most emerging economies, albeit at a more moderate pace.

Despite the economic climate, the nonprofit sector remains resilient, according to Idealist.org, the leading nonprofit job search engine. In August the organization reported a 14 percent increase in job postings over the same month in 2010, an increase that aligns with findings from a survey Idealist conducted earlier this year, which found 91 percent of the 3,000 nonprofit organizations surveyed plan on either maintaining their current staffing levels or hiring new positions this year.

Customer satisfaction slips for the first time in two years, according to the National Customer Satisfaction Index UK, produced in partnership with CFI Group and the American Customer Satisfaction Index. After stalling in the first quarter, the index is down .2% to 74.5 on a 0-100 scale.