S businesses firm size 101000 employees

Oil prices rose toward$47 a barrel on the perception that supply cuts by OPEC oilproducers were beginning to put a floor under prices At 10:10 a.m. (1510 GMT), the S&P/TSX composite index.GSPTSE was up 166.11 points, or 1.93 percent, at 8,797.51Nine of the TSX's 10 sectors were higher. (Reporting by Frank Pingue; Editing by Frank McGurty) Stocks Global Markets. NEW YORK, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The price of U.S. 30-yearTreasury bonds fell more than a point to session lows on Mondayafter data showed an unexpected rebound in existing home salesin December, suggesting a bottom to the real estate decline maybe closer than previously thought. Bonds Global Markets The long bond traded down 1-4/32 in price at 120-29/32. Itsyield, which moves inversely to price, was 3.37 percentUS30YTRR, up 5 basis points from late Friday U.S.

December existing home sales accelerated to a 4.74million unit annual rate, higher than analysts' consensusforecast of a decline to a 4.40 million annual rate. (Reporting by John Parry and Richard Leong; Editing by DanGrebler) Bonds Global Markets. Workers cite better overall health and lower costs as encouraging factors forparticipating in wellness programsDES MOINES, Iowa(Business Wire)More than half of American workers (51 percent) believe wellness benefitsoffered by their employer are successful at lowering health care costs,according to the latest Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM. The findingsshow that two-thirds of workers (up from 60 percent a year ago) expect increasedpremiums this year and more than four in 10 workers (43 percent, up from 38percent) expect to pay higher deductibles. As Americans continue searching for ways to contain costs in a slowing economy -including health care costs - the vast majority of workers with access toemployer-sponsored wellness benefits are using them. When offered, more thanthree-fourths of workers (79 percent, up from 74 percent) take advantage ofeducational tools and resources offered by their employer, while 77 percent (upfrom 59 percent) participate in both blood sugar and cholesterol screenings. The index, which surveys American workers at growing businesses with 10-1,000employees is released by the Principal Financial Group and conducted by HarrisInteractive.

"Americans face strong financial head winds as we enter the new year against thebackdrop of a slowing economy," said Jerry Ripperger, national practice leaderof consumer health for the Principal Financial Group. "Rising health care costsare fueling the fire at a time when many Americans are strapped for cash.Fortunately, it appears the majority of workers understand that adoptingpreventive health care measures not only improves overall health but can drivedown costs in the long term." A Little Encouragement Goes a Long WayWorkers, including both those who did and did not have access to onsiteactivities, cited several factors that would encourage them to participate in awellness program if offered by their employer. Better overall physical healthand lower personal health care costs (53 percent and 38 percent, respectively)would most encourage them to participate. More than one-third of workers (38percent) also said that receiving an incentive or reward would encourage them topartake in a wellness benefit program. "Improving Americans health and reducing health care benefits must be a teameffort between workers and employers," said Ripperger. "Its a win-win for bothinvolved - workers benefit from healthier lifestyles and lower costs, whileemployers see a 2-to-1 return on investment through higher productivity andlower absenteeism, among other factors." Cost Prevails When Choosing Health PlansNearly half of workers (42 percent) have more than one health plan optionavailable through their employer.

For the third straight year, monthly paycheckdeduction ranked No. Fourteen percent of workers (up from 11 percent) saidphysician office co-pay was also a motivating factor. MethodologyThis Principal Financial Well-Being IndexSM survey was conducted online withinthe United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of the Principal FinancialGroup from Oct 22 to Oct. 29, 2008, among 1,179 employees and 625 retirees.This is one in a series of quarterly studies to identify and track changes inthe workplace of small and midsize (growing) businesses. The first PrincipalFinancial Well-Being IndexSM survey was conducted in the United States in 2000. Employees consisted of adults 18 and older who work at small and midsize (SMB)U.S businesses (firm size: 10-1,000 employees).