WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who applied for unemployment benefits fell by 4,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 323,000, a five-year low. Layoffs have returned to pre-recession levels, a trend that could lead to more hiring. The Labor ...

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday stood by its aggressive efforts to stimulate the economy and reduce unemployment. And it sent its most explicit signal to date that tax increases and spending cuts that kicked in this year are ...

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose last week by 28,000, the third straight increase. Weekly applications increased to a seasonally adjusted 385,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the highest level since late November. The ...

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WASHINGTON — Unemployment rates fell in 22 U.S. states in February from January, a sign that hiring gains are benefiting many parts of the country. The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates rose in 12 states and were unchanged ...

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The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid barely changed last week, while the average over the past month fell to a fresh five-year low. The decline in layoffs is helping strengthen the job market. Weekly unemployment benefit applications rose ...

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WASHINGTON — JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon held back showing federal regulators reports in May that revealed the bank had accumulated billions of dollars in trading losses, according to congressional testimony Friday from the firm’s former chief financial officer. Douglas ...

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WASHINGTON — The No. 2 official at the Federal Reserve said Monday that she does not see any risks at the moment from the Federal Reserve’s low-interest rate policies that would prompt her to urge that the policies be curtailed. ...

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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says stock prices have gotten a boost from low interest rates caused by the Federal Reserve’s stimulus efforts. The chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. addressed a variety of topics during an interview on CNBC ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer prices were flat last month, the latest sign inflation is in check. That could give the Federal Reserve leeway to continue its efforts to stimulate growth. The consumer price index has risen 1.6 percent in the ...

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WASHINGTON — U.S. homebuilders began work at a slower pace in January than in December. But all of the drop occurred in the volatile area of apartment construction, which sank 24 percent. By contrast, the rate of single-family homebuilding rose 0.8 ...

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