US Economy - Page 4

Reuters - Mexican central bank governor Guillermo Ortiz on Wednesday urged the government and food companies to renew price caps for tortillas that have acted as a buffer against inflation.

Economy News AP - Energy prices surged in March at the fastest pace since Hurricane Katrina, but other consumer costs eased, providing relief from worries that inflation was getting out of hand. More Info...  

AP - Energy prices surged in March at the fastest pace since Hurricane Katrina, but other consumer costs eased, providing relief from worries that inflation was getting out of hand. More Info...  

Reuters - Core inflation dipped in March and groundbreaking for new homes rose slightly as the economy demonstrated anew an ability to keep growing without generating surging prices.

Reuters - The pace of U.S. home construction rose 0.8 percent in March to a rate that beat analysts' predictions but the rise was well below the previous month's increase and the rate was sharply off the year-ago figure, a government report showed on Tuesday.

Economy News AP - Retail sales rose in March at the fastest clip in three months, helped by warmer weather and an early Easter. More Info...  

Reuters - U.S. retail sales rose slightly more than expected in March but February sales were much higher than first estimated, pointing to continued strength in consumer demand as the manufacturing sector still falters.

Reuters - Retail sales rose a slightly more-than-expected 0.7 percent in March in part on higher gasoline prices, a Commerce Department report on Monday showed.

AP - Japan raised its assessment of consumer spending for the first time in over a year and a half, saying in its monthly report released Monday that a long-awaited pickup in spending is now in place. More Info...  

Economy News

AP - Wholesale prices shot up by 1 percent in March, mostly reflecting more expensive gasoline and food. However, when those volatile energy and food prices are removed, all other prices were flat in March, suggesting that inflation is not spreading throughout a wider range of goods in the economy, the Labor Department's report, released Friday, also showed.

AFP - Wall Street has been able to shake off worries about a slowing US economy, and has inched closer to a blue-chip record high as the market enters the heart of the corporate earnings season.

AP - The European Union's monetary chief said Friday that the United States' low savings rate and large budget deficit pose a risk to the global economy. More Info...  

Reuters - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February in a positive sign for the economy, but rising gasoline prices and troubles in the housing market knocked consumer sentiment to its lowest in eight months this month, according to reports on Friday.

AP - The U.S. trade deficit improved for a second month as oil imports fell sharply and the politically sensitive deficit with China narrowed to its lowest point in nine months. More Info...  

Reuters - U.S. consumer sentiment fell to its lowest in eight months in April on rising gasoline prices and troubles in the housing market, while inflation expectations also rose sharply, a survey showed on Friday.

Reuters - The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February to $58.4 billion, as crude oil imports fell sharply to the smallest in four years and average imported oil prices were the lowest since December 2005, a government report on Friday showed.

Reuters - Rising energy costs pushed producer prices up by a greater-than-expected 1.0 percent in March, but producer prices excluding food and energy were flat, a Labor Department report showed on Friday.

Economy News AP - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level in two months. More Info...  

Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless aid jumped to the highest level in two months last week, while retailers warned of softer sales in April after a stronger-than-expected March, suggesting some weakness in the economy.

AP - World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz acknowledged Thursday that he erred in helping a close female friend get transferred to a high-paying job. "I made a mistake for which I am sorry," he said.