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A key measure of manufacturing in the Mid-Atlantic region fell unexpectedly in July to its lowest level in a year, while an economic forecasting gauge rose less than expected, further signs that the US economic recovery is slowing. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index fell to minus 7.7 in August from July's plus 5.1. Any reading below zero indicates a shrinking in the region's manufacturing. The August reading was the lowest and also the first contraction since July 2009, when the economy was recovering from the credit crisis. "We see data like this and it kind...

Santelli on the floor of the exchange.

The number of U.S. workers making new claims for jobless benefits unexpectedly climbed last week to the highest level in six months, adding to concerns about the economy's weakness. Some analysts think the data are still being distorted by seasonal adjustment problems associated with annual factory shutdowns by car makers. Yet there is no denying U.S. labor conditions are poor.

HOLIYAH SOETORO SABAH, “LIA”, OBAMA’S ADOPTED SISTER What information was taken to her grave? You haven’t heard of Lia? Neither had we. The unknown, until now, adopted sister of Barack Hussein Obama died unexpectedly February 26, 1910. The USA media didn’t cover the story of this woman nor was her name found until the last few days. A competent WTPOTUS sleuth, Leza, and other researchers uncovered an article about an adopted “brother” in Indonesia, named Lia or Lee. Following up on a tidbit of information and other clues, more information was uncovered. Lia was an adopted sister, not a brother....

- In a report that is likely to lead to renewed concerns about the job market, the Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly showed a moderate increase in the week ended July 31st. The report showed that initial jobless claims rose to 479,000 from the previous week’s revised figured of 460,000. The increase came as a surprise to economists, who had expected jobless claims to edge down to 455,000 from the 457,000 originally reported for the previous week. With the unexpected increase, weekly jobless claims rose to their highest level since coming in at 480,000...

New orders for U.S. factory products tumbled much more than expected in May, posting their sharpest drop since the depth of the recession and their first decline in nine months, a government report showed Friday

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Prices of longer-dated Treasurys rose Thursday after an unexpected increase in jobless claims added to concern about the economic outlook, bolstering demand for safe assets. The 30-year bond led the buying, sending its yield down to 3.858%, the lowest level in more than a year. As of 8:45 a.m. EDT, the benchmark 10-year note was 5/32 higher to yield 2.935% and the 30-year bond was 16/32 higher to yield 3.883%. In its weekly report Thursday, the Labor Department said the number of U.S. workers filing initial claims for jobless benefits increased by 13,000 to 472,000 in the...

WASHINGTON — Initial claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the second time in three weeks, a sign that layoffs are rising. The Labor Department says new claims for jobless benefits jumped by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 472,000. Analysts expected a small drop, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters. Greater layoffs by construction firms contributed to the increase, a Labor Department analyst said. Home sales slumped last month after the expiration of a popular homebuyer tax credit. Summer layoffs in many school districts also added to the total.

BREAKING NEWS: New U.S. jobless claims rise unexpectedly as employers lay off more workers Title Only So Far Obamanomics = EPIC FAIL

<p>The private sector of the U.S. economy added only 13,000 jobs in June, according to ADP employment services, a disappointing number that came in below estimates and portends bad things from the government's June jobs report due out Friday.</p>

WASHINGTON - Sales of previously occupied homes dipped 2.2 percent in May, suggesting that a boost from government home-buying incentives is winding down earlier than expected.

The U.S. Labor Department reported today that initial weekly jobless claims for the week ending June 12 rose by 12,000 to 472,000, the highest level in a month. Economists had expected that number to decrease. The four-week moving average — a less volatile measure — was 463,500, a decrease of 500 from the previous week's revised average of 464,000, but still nowhere near the 400,000 level that would signal a boost in job creation. 0 0 0Share The total number of people collecting unemployment benefits of any kind fell by 350,000 to 9.47 million in the week ending May 29...

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Retail sales dropped unexpectedly for the first time in eight months in May, data that will likely reignite investor fears that a consumer recovery remains tepid and reinforcing the possibility of a double dip. The Commerce Department said Friday that sales for the month tumbled 1.2%, even as economists forecast a 0.2% gain. This follows a 0.6% increase in April. This is the first decline in retail sales since September 2009, when they tanked 2.2%. On a year-over-year basis, sales grew 6.9%. Sales were particularly hurt by hardware stores, auto dealers, gas stations, department and clothing...

"Unexpectedly." It recent overuse by the Associated Press almost makes me nostalgic for the "green shoots" that the mainstream media kept seeing last year in the midst of rising unemployment and other bad economic news. When you see the AP use that adverb nowadays, you almost always know it involves depressing news on the economic front and this time they did not dissapoint with their story about a sharp increase in jobless claims: WASHINGTON-- The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The surge is evidence of...

WASHINGTON - The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week by the largest amount in three months. The big surge was a setback to hopes that layoffs were declining. Applications for unemployment benefits rose to 471,000 last week, up by 25,000 from the previous week, the Labor Department said Thursday. It was the first increase in five weeks and the biggest jump since a gain of 40,000 in February.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of newly laid off people signing up for unemployment benefits rose sharply for the second straight week, suggesting that jobs are still hard to come by even as the economic recovery gains traction. The Labor Department reported Thursday that first-time requests for jobless benefits rose by 24,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 484,000, the highest level since late February. Economists were predicting claims would fall.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers. The increase also may result from the difficulty the Labor Department has in seasonally adjusting the claims around the Easter holiday, which falls on different weeks each year. "This is ... a volatile time when the numbers move around quite a bit," a department analyst said. The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims increased by 18,000 in the week ended April 3, to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of...

By Irwin Kellner, MarketWatch PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. (MarketWatch) -- The fledgling economic recovery appears to be running out of gas. The fuel for this or any other recovery has to come from the consumer. Purchases of goods and services by people like you and me account for about 70% of gross domestic product, so without our help a recovery could not last too long. Guess what? This is exactly what seems to be happening. Retailers report that, for the most part, shoppers are few and far between. The recent run of economic data is most compelling. Just about all of...

New statistics on the H1N1 swine flu strain show that it is no longer a “pandemic” in the United States, and that fatalities here never came close to the levels projected by the White House last fall. As of Feb. 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory-confirmed cases of “pandemic influenza H1N1 2009,” and 15,921 deaths have been confirmed worldwide. Outbreaks in North and South America are now at a low level, WHO said. “In the Americas, both in the tropical and northern temperate zones, pandemic influenza...

The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows caused layoffs to rise. WASHINGTON -- The number of new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly last week as heavy snows caused layoffs to rise. A Labor Department analyst says mid-Atlantic and New England states are still processing a spike in claims stemming from the bad weather two weeks ago. The department says first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose by 22,000 to a seasonally adjusted 496,000. Wall Street analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected a drop to 455,000. The four-week average, which smooths volatility, rose...