The news

Consumer confidence beginning to climb.
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index™, which had declined sharply in February, was flat in March. The Index now stands at 26.0, up from 25.3 in February. Despite this, those claiming business conditions are "bad" rose to 51.1 percent from 50.5 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "good" edged down to 6.8 percent from 7.0 percent last month. The slight rise in consumer confidence could be an initial sign that the bottom of the economic downturn is near.
our analysis

Impact of the G20.
The Group of 20 (G20) summit concluded on April 2, with a mutual commitment from the participating countries to provide $1.1 trillion in funding to increase capital for the International Monetary Fund. The summit which took place in London included leaders from 19 countries and the European Union to collaborate on solutions for recovery from the global recession. The goal of this funding, announced at the Summit's conclusion, is to preempt a contraction in global trade which is expected to go down for the first time in 30 years. At news of the announcement, stock markets around the world rose.
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College graduate job market.
According to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, companies plan to hire 22% fewer colleges graduates this spring compared to previous years. Many of the industries which previously scooped up talented college grads are adapting to the recession which often includes limiting entry level hires for the time being. Opportunities still remain for these graduates, however the amount of positions and locations have changed.
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CEO insight

“There are some glimmers of hope… I think we're going to get less negative numbers as we go through the summer. Demand is leveling in areas like finance, engineering and information technology.”
– Tig Gilliam, CEO, Adecco Group North America
Reuters 4/6/09