WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers earned a little more in January and spent most of the extra money. The modest gains should keep the economy growing slowly. But they disappointed economists, who were expecting bigger increases after two months of strong ...

Tagged with: commerce department consumer spending consumers Economy growth hiring income spending tax credit Taxes

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 ...

Tagged with: application Ben Bernanke economic growth economists federal reserve hiring jobs Labor Department Unemployment

WASHINGTON — Home prices fell in December for a fourth straight month in most major U.S. cities, as modest sales gains in the depressed housing market have yet to lift prices. The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home-price index shows prices dropped ...

Tagged with: builders case-shiller cities first-time buyers Foreclosures hiring home prices housing market mortgage previously occupied homes prices sales standard & poor's/case-shiller home-price index

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve isn’t about to launch another bond-buying program to boost the economy — at least not anytime soon. While some Fed officials are open to such a move, according to minutes of the Fed’s Jan. 24-25 ...

Tagged with: Ben Bernanke bond purchases Economy europe federal reserve hiring inflation Recession recovery Unemployment

WASHINGTON — The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring. Companies and governments posted 3.38 million jobs in December, the Labor ...

Tagged with: Business employment hiring job openings jobs labor Labor Department manufacturers retailers Unemployment

WASHINGTON — In the most impressive surge for the job market since early last year, the United States added 243,000 jobs in January, far more than economists expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent, the lowest in three years. ...

Tagged with: construction debt Economy employees europe federal reserve financial crisis hiring job market jobs Labor Department pay recovery Unemployment unemployment rate united states

WASHINGTON — Americans’ income rose in December by the most in nine months, a hopeful sign for the economy after a year of weak wage gains. But consumers didn’t spend any more than they had in November. Americans ended up ...

Tagged with: commerce department consumer spending Economy hiring income incomes inflation jobs MFR inc tax

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 ...

Tagged with: application debt economists Economy employees employers europe federal reserve growth hiring job market Labor Department Recession Unemployment unemployment benefits

WASHINGTON — Home sales in December reached their highest pace in nearly a year. The gain coincided with other signs that the troubled U.S. housing market improved at the end of last year. Analysts cautioned that sales remain historically low ...

Tagged with: credit first-time buyers Foreclosures hiring home sales homebuilders houses housing market mortgage National Association of Realtors sales Unemployment

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking unemployment benefits plummeted last week to 352,000, the fewest since April 2008. The decline added to evidence that the job market is strengthening. Applications fell 50,000, the biggest drop in the seasonally adjusted ...

Tagged with: application benefits consumer spending Economy employees employers europe federal reserve great recession hiring job market jobs Labor Department Manufacturing Recession Unemployment