China now exports every six hours as much as it did in the whole of 1978.

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In 2008 the median size of a new home in the US shrank for the first time in 13 years.

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Russia's foreign-exchange reserves were virtually zero when it began market reform in 1992; now they stand at $420 billion.

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Currently, there are around 21,500 multinationals based in emerging markets.

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Between 2008 and 2009, US exports dropped by $272 billion whereas imports fell by $589 billion.

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China has a staggering $2.4 trillion in foreign exchange reserves - enough to buy 2/3rds of all NASDAQ-quoted companies.

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Some 45% of firms in the Fortune 500 were born in recessions.

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By 2020 the internet will add $3.8 trillion (£2.5 trillion) to the global economy, exceeding the gross domestic product of Germany.

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The average Hollywood film (with a budget of $32 million) leads to 141 jobs directly, from caterers to make-up artists, and another 425 jobs indirectly.

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In 2009, US consumer credit card debt saw a sustained drop for the first time in decades, falling for 10 straight months as the recession took hold.

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In 2004, the average American spent $770.95 annually on services like cable television, Internet connectivity and video games. By 2008, that number rose to $903, outstripping inflation. By the end of 2010, it is expected to have grown to $997.07.

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America's share of world exports in the early 1950s was 18% - a figure that has since dropped to 8%.

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Spending on PR in America grew by more than 4% in 2008 and nearly 3% in 2009 to $3.7 billion. In contrast, spending on advertising contracted by nearly 3% in 2008 and by 8% in 2009.

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Only about 400,000 more Americans were employed in December 2009 than in December 1999, while the population grew by 30 million.

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In 2009, China overtook Germany to become the world's largest exporter and its share of world exports jumped to almost 10%, up from 3% in 1999.

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A non-celebrity pornographic actress might have charged $1,000 for a 'straight boy-girl' scene before the recession, but gets $800 or less now. Men averaged $500 for a straight scene in 2007, they are now lucky to get $300.

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A study of mergers and acquisitions in America in 1985-2001 found that deals done during a recession generated more than 15% more return to shareholders than those that took place during a boom.

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In the 6 months after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, there were just 2 IPOs in America.

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There have been at least 124 bank-centred crises around the world since 1970, most of which were preceded by booms in house prices and stockmarkets, large capital inflows and rising public debt.

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Despite the recession, Americans started 530,000 businesses a month in 2008.

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