WASHINGTON — Retail sales barely rose in December, but the gain was enough to lift sales to a record level for 2011. It marked the largest annual increase in more than a decade. Sales inched up 0.1 percent in December ...

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WASHINGTON — Applications for weekly unemployment benefits spiked last week, largely because companies let go of thousands of workers after the holiday season. Weekly applications rose by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 399,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week, a sign that the job market remains weak. Weekly applications increased by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 401,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. The modest ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits rose back above 400,000 last week. Still, the four-week average, a more reliable gauge of the job market, fell to the lowest level since mid-April. The report suggests that the ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale companies added more autos, machinery and computers to their stockpiles in June, pushing inventories up for the 18th consecutive month. Sales at the wholesale level rose 0.6 percent in June, the Commerce department said Wednesday. That ...

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WASHINGTON — More people bought previously occupied homes in January. But sales surged on a rising number of foreclosures and all-cash deals, and not first-time home-buyers. The rising number of distressed sales forced home prices down to their lowest level ...

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