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A study released by Bankrate.com revealed a steep drop in consumers' financial security. Bankrate's overall Financial Security Index fell to a 2011 low of 92.3 amid a recent stock market correction, a U.S. credit downgrade and a barrage of poor economic data. Consumers' feelings about their savings, net worth and job security all established 2011 lows.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the OECD area slowed to 0.2% in the second quarter of 2011, down from 0.3% in the previous quarter. This is the fourth consecutive quarter of slower growth.

With holiday planning already underway, retailers are looking for different ways to reach consumers and drive sales during the 2011 holiday season. Typically, retailers play to the traditional themes of the season to engage with consumers. However, new data released by Motista suggests that retailers should look beyond the traditional set of holiday emotions such as family and giving to understand what’s really motivating consumers to spend more. The data also reveals different ways in which men and women interact and connect with retailers, which may be useful as retailers plan their holiday marketing campaigns.

Regional and state unemployment rates were generally little changed in July. Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia registered unemployment rate increases, nine states recorded rate decreases, and thirteen states had no rate change, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Thirty-seven states posted unemployment rate decreases from a year earlier, seven states and the District of Columbia reported increases, and six states had no change. The national jobless rate was little changed at 9.1 percent but was 0.4 percentage point lower than a
year earlier.

Comparing with the previous month, among 70 medium and large-sized cities, the sales prices of newly constructed residential buildings declined in 14 cities while that of 17 cities remained general level. The chain index decreased and remained the general level rose by 5 cities in July as compared with previous month. The growth rate of chain index within 1.0 percent in the cities with increasing price, while that of 15 cities dipped.

Capital availability, price discovery and improved fundamentals, supported by alternative financing sources and loan restructurings, are fueling the budding commercial real estate (CRE) recovery according to Deloitte's "Commercial Real Estate Outlook: Top Five Issues in 2011" report.

After weeks of bad economic news and battling Congress over the debt ceiling and deficit discussions, President Obama is heading off for a little vacation time with his family to end the summer. Unfortunately, he is also ending the summer with the lowest approval ratings of his presidency so far. This month, just one-third of Americans (32%) give the president positive ratings on the overall job he is doing while two-thirds (68%) give him negative ratings. Last month, almost two in five (38%) gave the president positive marks while 62% gave him negative ones.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.5 percent in July on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.6 percent before seasonal adjustment.

Real average hourly earnings for all employees fell 0.1 percent from June to July, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. A 0.4 percent increase in average hourly earnings was more than offset by a 0.5 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U).

The July 2011 RE/MAX National Housing Report, which surveyed 53 U.S. metropolitan areas, shows signs of a continuing, but uneven, recovery in the housing market. After rising for two straight months, Home Sales fell 12.7% in July when compared with sales in June, following a traditional summer trend. However, for the first time in six months, Home Sales were higher than one year ago, up an impressive 13.1% from July 2010. Strict lending standards, bad appraisals and concern about the economy all contributed to lower than normal sales in July. Many lenders are already using the lower GSE and FHA loan limits set to take effect on September 30. Home Prices were even and inventory levels continued to fall for a thirteenth straight month.