Economic growth was stronger than originally thought at the end of 2011 as consumers increased their spending and businesses stocked up their inventories.
The U.S. Commerce Department said Wednesday that it would investigate allegations that Chinese solar cell manufacturers are illegally "dumping" their products on the American market at excessively cheap prices.
Nervous investors hoping for a reprieve this week will be disappointed.
U.S. stocks were set for a higher open Friday, following a choppy week of trading and huge gains in the previous session, as investors reacted to a healthy report on retail sales.
Americans earned a little bit more income in June, but they chose to stash it away rather than spend it.
Stocks are expected to start the week with a relief rally after President Obama announced late Sunday that a bipartisan deal had been reached on the debt ceiling.
The depths of the Great Recession were even greater than originally reported -- by $131 billion, to be exact.
U.S. economic growth remained disappointingly weak the first three months of the year, the government reported Thursday.
The risk of counterfeit electronics being used in military equipment has prompted a congressional investigation, the top senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee announced Wednesday.
As incomes slowly creep back up, Americans are spending more freely and saving less. Personal income rose 0.4% in December, following a 0.4% increase in November, according to data released Monday by the Commerce Department.
Stocks kicked off 2011 with gains last week despite lackluster economic news, but the week ahead could be more challenging as the quarterly earnings season gets underway.
Stocks are likely to trade in a narrow range during the home stretch of the year as investors lock in profits and leave their desks for the holidays.
The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled a proposed new framework for protecting consumers' privacy online.
U.S. stocks eased off earlier gains but finished higher Tuesday, as investors found little reason to jump into the fray after the Fed kept rates steady and left its bond-buying plan alone.
Stocks closed out their worst week in three months on Friday, but it's a new week on Wall Street and investors are bracing for a slew of economic and corporate news to help set the tone.
Personal income registered an unexpected dip in September, while spending by individuals grew at a slower rate than expected, according to data released by the federal government Monday.
Investors are bracing for an onslaught of news this week: The earnings avalanche continues, midterm elections are approaching and economic data are due in a bunch of sectors.
The economy grew at a slightly faster pace in the second quarter than previously thought, but the pace of growth is still painfully slow.
The stock market's best week in a year has restored some confidence to battered investors, but the real test begins Monday when companies start reporting second quarter profits and losses.
The economy grew in the first quarter, but not quite as much as originally reported, the government said Thursday.
Personal income edged up slightly in January, and spending by individuals rose for a fourth straight month, according to government data released Monday.
Wall Street has finally gotten the piece of economic news it has been waiting for: the battered labor market may be starting to heal. But with major stock gauges at their highest levels in more than a year, recovery bets could already be baked into the cake.
The quarterly reporting period has gotten off to a bang-up start, with 81% of companies outshining analysts' forecasts. But with expectations now raised, the latest crop of strong results has had little impact on the broad market.
Retail sales fell in September after a popular program aimed at boosting auto sales ended, but the drop was smaller than economists had expected, government data showed Wednesday.
Investors are hoping the surprisingly strong summer market rally will last at least one more week -- before any second-guessing in the fall kicks in.
In less than 24 hours all full-power broadcast TV stations in the U.S. will flip a switch to stop broadcasting their analog TV signals and will only broadcast TV signals in digital. And for millions who are unprepared, it could mean lights out on their favorite TV shows.
When the $787 billion stimulus bill was passed by Congress in February, $317.2 billion in spending provisions were appropriated for various federal agencies. Take a look at an overview of the numbers, where available:
Consumers continued to retrench in December, capping off the worst year for consumer spending since 1961, according to a government report released Monday.
In a troubling sign that consumers are retrenching this holiday season, consumer spending and orders for durable goods fell further in November, according to government reports released Wednesday.
The dollar was mixed against major currencies on Friday as two better-than-expected economic reports gave the market hope, but rising inflation and higher oil prices weighed.
Stocks closed lower Monday, the third consecutive day of declines, as falling oil prices could not completely overcome concerns about the health of the nation's economy.
Personal income surged in May as the government's stimulus payment plan to jump-start the economy took effect, according to a report released Friday.
Like any mask-wearing serial killer in a cheesy horror movie, you just can't kill the American consumer.
Construction spending fell in February, according to a government report released Tuesday, but the decline was less than expected.
Personal income rose and a key measure of inflation held steady in February, but consumer spending remained weak, according to a government report released Friday.
Treasurys were higher Friday after a government report showed spending by individuals remained weak last month and a key measure of inflation held steady.
Sales of new homes plunged last month to their lowest level in more than 12 years, a grim testament to the problems plaguing the housing sector.
Demand for big-ticket items fell for the third straight month in October and came in weaker than had been forecast, according to a government report released Wednesday.
Retail sales grew at a sluggish pace in October as many cash-strapped Americans continue to struggle with higher gas prices, less equity in the home and tighter credit availability.
Construction spending posted a bigger-than-expected 0.2 percent gain in August as strength in non-residential construction offset a continued plunge in home building.
Demand for big-ticket manufactured goods plunged in August by the largest amount in seven months, with widespread weakness signaling a slowdown in the nation's industrial sector.
Construction activity plunged in July by the biggest amount in six months as spending on homes fell for a record 17th straight month.
Consumers returned to the malls in July after taking a breather in June, although worries about the future could make the rebound short-lived.
The U.S. gross domestic product came in at a 4.0 percent annual rate of growth for the second quarter, showing the highest growth rate in more than a year, according to the Commerce Department.
Inventories at U.S. businesses rose 0.4 percent as expected in June, Commerce Department data released on Monday showed.
New orders for long-lasting U.S-made manufactured goods rose 1.4 percent in June on a big rise in orders for non-defense aircraft, a Commerce Department report Thursday showed.
Construction spending rose 0.9 percent in May, well above expectations on an all-time high in the pace of both public spending and private non-residential spending, a Commerce Department report on Friday showed.
Housing starts slipped 2.1 percent in May to a slightly lower rate than analysts had expected while building permit activity increased more than anticipated, a government report showed Tuesday.
Stocks fell in light trading Friday amid concerns about the health of the economy.
Santa showed few signs of making a visit to Wall Street on Friday as stocks fell in light trading on concerns about the health of the economy.
Retail sales surged in the important holiday shopping month of November as shoppers flocked to malls in search of juicy deals on toys, electronics and other popular gift items.
Bond prices climbed Thursday after a robust report on durable goods revealed it fell short of expectations when the transportation component was stripped out.
Treasury prices slid Wednesday after strong manufacturing data suggested that the Fed would continue raising interest rates.
Bonds erased gains Wednesday after a government report showing a jump in new home sales offset a disappointing durable goods release that had pushed yields lower in early trading.
Automakers' "employee discount" incentives may have revved up overall retail sales in July, but some economists say widespread weakness in other categories could indicate that higher gas prices are beginning to weigh on consumer spending.
The pace of economic growth slowed a bit more than expected in the second quarter, but inflationary pressures remained well in check.
Investors will be hoping that encouraging news on the economy Friday could give stocks some respite after the previous session's brutal selloff on the back of growing unease about record-high oil prices.
Bond prices increased Wednesday after the government said orders for durable goods fell sharply in March. The dollar was little changed.
When the Commerce Department releases its retail sales report on Dec. 13, we'll get our first glimpse at holiday spending patterns. For the season, analysts are calling for shoppers to shell out 5 ...
Orders for long-lasting goods rose in September, the government reported Wednesday, coming in lower than estimates.
Sales of new homes fell from a record pace in June, the government reported Tuesday, but still came in above economists' estimates as buyers continue to shrug off higher mortgage rates.
April orders for long-lasting goods made in the United States posted the largest drop in 20 months, the government reported Wednesday, coming in well below economists' forecasts.
After muddling through several weeks of uncertainty, U.S. stock markets should enjoy a little more clarity in the coming week, but will get few signs of the future course of inflation and interest rates.
U.S. Treasury prices fell Wednesday following three consecutive days of gains and in anticipation of new supply hitting the market as an auction of five-year note kicks off.
The pace of new home sales in the United States slowed for the second straight month in December, the government said Wednesday, missing Wall Street expectations for a gain.
After the apparent fraud at WorldCom and Enron, the stupid accounting tricks at Qwest and Xerox, the zillion-dollar write-downs at AOL Time Warner and JDS Uniphase, the suspicion does begin to nag:...
IT COULD BE the biggest infrastructure problem of all. Once the envy of the world, America's system for gathering and interpreting economic statistics has fallen into disrepair. The resulting misme...
Encouraged by a recent string of stronger economic data, forecasters are growing more confident that 1993 will produce a solid expansion. Can we count on them to be right? Most failed to foresee ei...
A necessary evil in good times, inventory can turn into an outright demon when it piles up in a recession and keeps recovery at bay. That didn't happen last year, as responses from 175 executives i...
RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS American Assembly Columbia University 412 Altschul Hall New York, New York 10027 212-280-3456
If there's one thing the economy is producing lots of lately, it's bad news. Factory employment has dropped in nearly every month this year, pushing the total of manufacturing jobs down by 136,000 ...
Now that recession worries are safely on the back shelf, investors can take a calm look at what moderate economic growth will mean for the year ahead. Inflation will quicken, spurring the Fed to ti...
At anemic rates of less than 4.5% during the past four years, Americans' saving habits have become a national disgrace. But as the nation's personal- saving-rate figures at right indicate, a turnar...
SINCE AT LEAST the Book of Proverbs -- ''A wise man saves for the future, but a foolish man spends whatever he gets'' -- saving has stood as a test of virtue. America looks to be flunking the test ...
The economy lost some zing in the first quarter of this year, then lost a little more in the second quarter. Ominous trend? Not at all. Like a veteran hurler, the economy has more than made up for ...
LAST YEAR was a good one for corporate profits -- right? Well, that is the general perception, and taken as a whole it is still correct, but the most recent data from the Commerce Department show t...
FORECASTS are only as good as the data forecasters have on hand. The Commerce Department's recent GNP revisions reveal that growth over the past three years was better than forecasters had thought....
CONSUMERS have been spending heroically, keeping the economy's torpid growth from slowing even further. Their purchases zoomed at a 6.5% annual rate during the third quarter, more than offsetting t...
THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT the Commerce Department gave economists this year, too heavy for a stocking stuffer, was the most comprehensive revision of U.S. income and production data in a decade. Analys...
Loading weather data ...
