WASHINGTON — A sharp jump in gasoline prices drove a measure of U.S. consumer costs up in February. But outside higher pump prices, inflation stayed mild. The Labor Department said Friday that the consumer price index rose 0.4 percent in ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to the lowest point in four years, a further sign that the U.S. job market is improving. A seasonally adjusted 351,000 people sought unemployment aid, down from ...

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NEW YORK — Economists are increasingly confident that some pillars of the U.S. economy will improve this year, but they still remain cautious in their expectations on the overall pace of economic growth. The National Association for Business Economics said ...

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WASHINGTON — Sales of new homes dipped in January but the final quarter of 2011 was stronger than first estimated. The Commerce Department said Friday that new-home sales fell 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of ...

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WASHINGTON — The housing market is flashing signs of health ahead of the spring-buying season. Sales of previously occupied homes are at their highest level since May 2010. More first-time buyers are making purchases. And the supply of homes fell ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to a level that signaled a steadily improving job market. The figures came one day before the government is expected to report that January marked another solid month ...

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ANNAPOLIS — Maryland officials are launching a new kind of environmental and policy center. Gov. Martin O’Malley and Sen. Barbara Mikulski will be among the officials celebrating the University of Maryland’s National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center on Monday in Annapolis. The ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 377,000, up from a nearly four-year low the previous week. But the longer-term trend is pointing to a healthier job market. Applications have trended ...

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LOS ANGELES — A new economic forecast calls for the U.S. economy to make some modest growth strides this year, but not quite enough to significantly reduce the number of jobless Americans looking for work. About two-thirds of the economists ...

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WASHINGTON — Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates. Freddie Mac said ...

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