US Economy - Page 8

AFP - US economic momentum is likely to decline this year to a pace slower than the 2.9 percent forecast in September by the International Monetary Fund, the head of the IMF said Thursday.

FT.com - The US economy grew at faster pace than previously thought last quarter, according to government figures. More Info...  

Reuters - U.S. economic growth was moderately stronger in the fourth quarter than previously thought, primarily because businesses added more to inventories than was estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday.

Economy News AP - Orders to factories for big-ticket manufactured goods posted a disappointing increase in February that raised new worries about the strength of the economy. More Info...  

AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday the US economy has so far weathered a slump in the US housing market, but that the outlook faces growing "uncertainties."

Reuters - Orders for U.S.-made big-ticket items were weaker than expected in February as a stricken housing industry put a drag on the economy, a report on Wednesday showed.

AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday a slump in the US housing market has not yet spilled over to the broader economy, but did not rule out the possibility of a more severe slowdown.

FT.com - Ben Bernanke on Wednesday highlighted a new risk to economic growth from weakness in business investment, but played down the threat to the US economy from the crisis in the subprime mortgage market. More Info...  

FT.com - Shares of heavy exporters fell in response to a stronger yen and fears about the US economy, depressing the Japanese market on Wednesday afternoon. More Info...  

Economy News

AP - Consumers sent up a warning signal in March that rising gas prices, falling home values and a volatile stock market could hurt spending in the coming months, a widely watched index showed on Tuesday.

Reuters - Consumer confidence weakened in March as higher gasoline prices and recent turmoil in financial markets made Americans nervous about the future, a report showed on Tuesday.

FT.com - The euro was boosted on Tuesday after Germany's Ifo index of business sentiment rose unexpectedly in March, while weakness in the US economy left the dollar under pressure. More Info...  

Economy News

AP - Sales of new homes fell for a second consecutive month in February, dimming hopes for a rebound soon in the troubled housing market and raising fears about the health of the overall economy.

Reuters - Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly fell in February, hitting their lowest level in nearly seven years, according to a report on Monday that raised concerns the troubled housing sector had not yet hit bottom.

Reuters - Sales of new U.S. homes fell 3.9 percent in February to the lowest rate in nearly seven years while the number of new homes on the market grew, according to a government report on Monday that showed more signs of weakness in the housing sector.

Economy News

AP - Sales of existing homes rose in February by the largest amount in nearly three years, but worsening troubles in subprime mortgages were viewed as a roadblock to a full-fledged rebound. The National Association of Realtors reported Friday that existing home sales climbed 3.9 percent last month, pushed up by a milder-than-normal winter that boosted sales in areas of the country such as the Northeast.

Reuters - The pace of U.S. existing-home sales rose unexpectedly in February, but inventories of unsold homes also gained, according to a report on Friday that offered mixed news on the downtrodden housing sector.

AP - The global economy is still on track for healthy growth despite the adverse impact on U.S. business prospects of a housing slump and skittishness about risky mortgages, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Friday. More Info...  

Reuters - China is on course to become the world's second-largest consumer market by 2015, but foreign firms looking to tap the retail boom must brace for a bumpy ride and possible price wars, Credit Suisse said on Friday.

Economy News AP - A strong job market appears to be propping up an economy suffering from slumping home prices and a slowdown in manufacturing, two economic reports suggested Thursday. More Info...