The housing market is expected to end the year on a "flat note", according to a survey by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

BBC: Scots home market remains 'flat'

In reality, America's incarceration rate increased nearly ten fold between 1973 and 2000 at a time when, according to the Census Bureau's National Crime Victimisation Survey, the crime rate was relatively flat or falling.

ECONOMIST: America behind bars

West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark fuel, remained largely flat between January 20 and Friday, when the most recent survey was conducted.

CNN: European crude drives up U.S. gas prices

Less encouragingly, two regional reports on the sector, the Empire State Survey and the Philadelphia Fed Survey, were inconclusive, with the former basically flat and the latter down significantly.

FORBES: U.S. Recovery Remains On Track With Modest Growth

Yet a corporate survey released with the data showed manufacturers expect output to be flat in May and then fall 1.4% in June as car manufacturers cut back.

WSJ: Japan Industrial Production Rises 1.7%

Nearly three-quarters of 500 low-income families questioned by Oxfam Hong Kong in a recent survey had been on the list for more than 4 years without being offered a flat.

NPR: Hong Kong Poor Living In Cages And Cubicles