WASHINGTON — Fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, adding to evidence that layoffs are slowing and employers may be stepping up hiring. The number of people seeking benefits dropped by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 382,000 in the ...

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Lower unemployment and bankruptcies helped reduce the nation’s economic stress in January compared with a year earlier, according to The Associated Press’ monthly analysis. Still, the figures show the economy has yet to regain full health. Midwestern and Southeastern states ...

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NEW YORK — Oil prices climbed back above $100 per barrel Thursday after a crackdown on protesters in Bahrain increased concerns that unrest there threatens to spread to OPEC heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran. Prices are also rising as Japan ...

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WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, providing support for the view that there will be stronger job growth this year. Applications fell to a seasonally adjusted 385,000 last week, marking the third decline in the past ...

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WASHINGTON — Homebuilders’ pessimistic outlook improved slightly this month, but it remains dim amid falling home prices and a weak pace of construction. The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday that its index of industry sentiment for March improved ...

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WASHINGTON — Higher oil and food prices. Unemployment near 9 percent. Crises in the Middle East and Japan. The U.S. economy faces threats at home and abroad that have the potential to dull growth or stoke inflation. Or both. When ...

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WASHINGTON — Higher oil and food prices. Unemployment near 9 percent. Crises in the Middle East and Japan. The U.S. economy faces threats at home and abroad that have the potential to dull growth or stoke inflation. Or both. When ...

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WASHINGTON — Republicans on Friday muscled a bill toward House passage that would kill federal loans to struggling homeowners as the GOP and Democrats waged their latest fight over how to balance frugality and compassion at a time of massive ...

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ANNAPOLIS — Maryland employers shed 7,100 jobs in January, but the state’s jobless rate fell to its lowest point in more than a year and a half, according to figures released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The state’s ...

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WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, only the second increase in six weeks. The Labor Department says applications rose by 26,000 to a seasonally adjusted 397,000 during the week ended March 5. The rise ...

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