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Applied foreign exchange management practices have shown remarkable resilience through the recent turbulence in global financial markets, and most firms have left their related processes unchanged, according to a report released by The Conference Board, the global, independent business membership and research association working in the public interest.

The global financial crisis is having a devastating impact on families in emerging Europe and Central Asia, with the risk of the region giving back a fifth of the poverty reduction gains of the past decade, according to a new World Bank report. By 2010, there could be over 10 million more poor people in the region, and close to an additional 25 million more who were almost middle class but now just above the poverty line (relative to pre-crisis projections) with the potential of losing their homes, jobs, and basic services.

Consumer prices in the OECD area rose by 0.2 % in the year to October 2009, a positive rate for the first time since May 2009. Month-on-month, prices increased by 0.1% in October, after remaining stable in September 2009.

Global growth will resume in 2010, driven largely by the world’s emerging economies, The Conference Board reported.

Latin America as a whole is showing signs of recovery and stabilization. Economic activity is helped by improving conditions in global financial and commodity markets, as well as recovering exports. It is also underpinned by the stronger policy frameworks developed during the past decade, which have promoted resilience and allowed the implementation of timely responses to counter the crisis. Yet several medium-term features of the Latin America region still cast a shadow over the strength of the coming recovery. Combating poverty and reducing inequality remains a top priority. Many countries continue to struggle with scarce investment, low productivity, dependence on volatile commodity prices and slowing migrant remittances.

The recession is taking its toll on tax receipts across the OECD. Aggregate tax burdens in OECD economies, calculated as the ratio of tax revenues to gross domestic product, or GDP, were unchanged between 2006 and 2007, and then fell in 2008. The reduction in the tax burden in 2008 is estimated to have been some ½ percent of GDP, from 35.8% to an estimated 35.2%.

Unsafe road traffic conditions in the countries of Europe and Central Asia (ECA)have tremendous adverse implications for their economic and social well-being, says a World Bank report. Treating road safety victims is imposing an increasingly unbearable burden on these countries’ health and social services. Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death and disability, affecting young and working-age groups of society in particular, and ECA countries need to act now to prevent injuries and save lives, suggest World Bank experts.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Australia increased 0.3 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) increased 0.1 percent in September.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Mexico increased 0.4 percent and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) increased 0.7 percent in September.

Entrepreneurial activity shows positive signs during these hard times, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2008 National Entrepreneurial Assessment for the United States of America, produced by Babson College and Baruch College.