All economists and investors are looking at the data coming out of the Commerce Department related to consumer spending. As well, there is a lot of attention being paid to income levels in the United States in February. Investors want to get more confidence in the market, and with higher consumer spending that is easier to come by, but with stagnant income growth, there is still a clear problem with the economy.

There are several automotive companies located around the world, but the biggest provide most of the cars around the world. Naturally, there are three American automotive companies located in the top five, but no American companies take the top spot. These companies all have a long and varied history that has seen good times and bad times.

One of the darkest times for the auto industry was 2008 and 2009. During this time, three companies that used to dominate the auto industry suffered huge losses. GM and Ford needed to file for bankruptcy protection as a result, allowing the government of the United States to take control of the companies thanks to multi-billion dollar bailouts. How are they doing now? Is the auto industry recovering?

Citibank had both a good week and a bad week thanks to a court ruling that brought some millions into the company, and a fine due to some problems with the law. Next week, hopefully the bank will be able to recover from some bad press this week.

Crude oil is a good indicator of how the economy is doing. When people have to spend more money for gas, they spend less money elsewhere. The economy needs people spending money, and one of the biggest reasons for the recession was the failing of the Big Three automakers who suffered horribly when oil prices began to shoot up. Right now oil stands at $81, a drop from where it was the previous week.

Etrade beats the competition and scores the top position by offering free trading for 60 days! Thats a savings of 1318$ in two months! Best Value for your money if you wanted to open a brokerage account now