Core Retail Sales figures which do not include automobiles came out even worse with a contraction figure of 0.5% for the same period.

FORBES: Dismal Home Sales Sap Greenback

An index above 50 shows growth in manufacturing, while a figure below 50 implies a contraction.

BBC: US manufacturing hints at recovery

Figure 2 shows unit demand growth and contraction trends for various HDD applications from 2008 projected through 2012.

FORBES: A Pause Before Future HDD Growth?

The OECD is predicting an annualised contraction of 0.4% for GDP in the first quarter, which would suggest a 0.1% contraction compared with the previous quarter, which is the headline figure that the ONS releases.

BBC: OECD predicts recession in the UK