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BEIJING China’s economy resumed momentum in November, but there are still signs of over-reliance on growth from the inefficient state sector, a series of purchasing managers’ surveys shows. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to a 7-month high of 50.6 in November from 50.2 in October, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Saturday, following on a preliminary private sector survey that showed factory activity reviving to a 13-month high. The weekend results came ahead of the release on Monday of the statistics bureau’s survey of the non-manufacturing sector, and by HSBC’s final PMI reading for last [...]

A new survey on retirement saving suggests that too many younger Americans are relying either on wishful thinking or blind faith. There is a difference between the two, though they both lead down the same path. A T. Rowe Price survey of investors between the age of 21 and 50 showed that most at least recognize the need to save for retirement. However, most are not taking adequate measures to finance a secure retirement. Saving without a plan The good news is that among the investors surveyed, 92 percent who can contribute to a 401(k) plan are doing so. However, [...]

Many U.S. companies are less optimistic about doing business in China even though sales there are still rising, and most of those firms are planning to increase investment, according to an annual survey of business executives released on Wednesday. “The China market continues to deliver sales growth and profitability for U.S. companies, but rising costs, increasing competition, and persistent market access and regulatory barriers are tempering the optimism of U.S. companies doing business with China,” the U.S.-China Business Council said. Forty-five percent of the 111 companies surveyed said they were less optimistic than three years ago about the business environment [...]

If you avoid credit cards that carry an annual fee, you may be missing out on some of the best in the industry, according to a new analysis conducted by the Consumer Reports Money Lab.The survey, which is featured in the November issue of Consumer Reports, looked at 53 credit cards and identified the best cash rewards, travel and balance transfer/low interest cards. The top cards chosen by the report suggest that consumers shouldn’t avoid a card simply because it has an annual fee. Particularly for those who pay off their balances each month, the perks of some rewards credit [...]

Finance chiefs at dozens of U.S. retailers think their companies have so-called showrooming – the phenomenon of shoppers using brick-and-mortar stores to check out merchandise but then buy it online – under control, according to a poll released Tuesday. What CFOs are more concerned about is how consumer confidence may be affected by next month’s presidential election, according to an annual poll by BDO USA, the assurance, tax and financial consulting firm. An overwhelming majority of chief financial officers surveyed, 88 percent, said that they are not concerned about showrooming. The practice has become a larger issue as more shoppers [...]

J.D. Power and Associates 2012 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study was published on August 23, and the results surprised almost nobody. Yet again (for the sixth year running), American Express topped the list, very closely followed by Discover Card.Credit card companies and customer satisfactionThe study was conducted in June, and was based on responses from “more that 13,726 credit card customers” (13,727?). It covered the six aspects of credit cards that many would regard as the most important factors in owning plastic:InteractionCredit card termsBilling and payment processRewardsBenefits and servicesProblem resolutionIn a press release, J.D. Power and Associates stressed the upheaval [...]

- A new survey shows one in five Spaniards want to quit the euro and return to the peseta.Spains El Pais newspaper published a poll from Metroscopia Sunday that found 21% want to leave the euro currency, which Spain abandoned a decade ago to join the eurozone.The poll also found that 72% of those polled believed the Spain, the eurozone’s fourth largest economy, would need a full bailout from the European Union, up from 62% a month ago, Reuters reported.The majority – 70% – of respondents want to stick with the euro. Another nine percent had no opinion      The survey [...]

The Institute for Supply Management releases its U.S. manufacturing index at 10 a.m. Eastern. Economists polled by MarketWatch expect the manufacturing gauge to rise to 50.2% in August from 49.8% in July. The index has been slightly below the neutral 50 mark for two straight months. Readings below 50 indicate that manufacturing activity is generally contracting.

It’s not exactly love, but American consumers appear to be developing growing affection for — or maybe it’s just growing toleration of — their credit card companies, according to a comprehensive survey released Thursday. For the third year in a row, J.D. Power and Associates found that credit card users are becoming increasingly satisfied with the way they are treated by most card issuers. Overall satisfaction averages 753 on a 1,000-point scale, an increase of 22 points over last year, 39 points over the result in 2010 and 48 points over the 2009 findings. The latest score represents the highest [...]

Interest rates on new credit card offers remained flat for the third straight week, according to the CreditCards.com Weekly Credit Card Rate Report. The national average annual percentage rate (APR) on new card offers remained at 14.97% Wednesday. This week marks the 21st time this year that average interest rates haven’t moved. The last time average rates changed by close to a full percentage point from one week to the next was in January 2010.   The lack of APR activity does not in any way reflect a lack of credit card use, however. A new report from credit bureau TransUnion [...]