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U.S. stock futures are pulling off their lows as an employment reading shows that the private sector added jobs last month. The ADP National Employment Report arriving Wednesday shows that the private sector added 40,000 jobs in May, rather than declined by 60,000 as economists had been expecting, according to Dow Jones Newswires. Dow Jones industrial average futures are down 20, or 0.16 percent, at 12,384, off their earlier lows.

WASHINGTON - The economy plodded ahead at a 0.9 percent pace in the first quarter — slightly better than first estimated — but still underscoring caution on the part of consumers and businesses walloped by housing, credit and financial problems. The new reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Thursday, was an improvement from the government’s initial growth estimate for the January-to-March quarter as well as the economy’s performance in the final quarter of last year. Both periods were pegged at a 0.6 percent growth rate. Gross domestic product, or GDP, measures the value of all...

Sales of new homes rose in April for the first time in six months although the unexpected increase still left activity near the lowest level in 17 years. ADVERTISEMENT The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that sales of new homes rose 3.3 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 526,000 units. But the government revised March activity lower to show an even bigger drop of 11 percent to an annual rate of 509,000, which was the weakest pace for sales since April 1991. Economists believe that new home sales will remain weak for some time as the housing...

ASSOCIATED PRESS - Construction of new homes posted the biggest increase in more than two years in April. While it was a rare bit of good news for the housing market, analysts said it's far too soon to declare an end to the extensive slump. The Commerce Department reported yesterday that housing construction rose by 8.2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million units. Building of single-family homes continued to weaken, however. The growth came from a big jump in apartment construction. Analysts predicted the surprising rebound in April would be temporary given the headwinds...

Initial construction of U.S. homes rose unexpectedly in April, according to a government report released Friday. Privately owned housing starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,032,000 in April, according to the Commerce Department. The rate was up 8.2% from March's revised reading of 954,000 but 30.6% lower than April of 2007. Economists were expecting housing starts to decline to 940,000, according to consensus estimates compiled by Briefing.com. Construction of new single-family homes, however, was at a rate of 692,000 in April, or 1.7% below March's number. That is the lowest reading of that measure since January 1991....

Whatever happened to the Great Depression? Not the real one from 70 years ago, the lost decade of unimagined misery and Steinbeckian angst, the worst period in the history of modern capitalism. I mean the replay we were promised this year. The one we were told was the inevitable counterpart to the greatest financial crisis since a couple of medieval Italians first sat down on a Florentine bench and invented the word “bank”. I don’t know about you but I feel a bit cheated. There we all were, led to believe by so many commentators that the sub-prime crisis was...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy showed off unexpected signs of resilience Friday as job losses slowed, the dollar gained a bit of muscle for a change and there were even indications that food prices may be easing. The unemployment rate dipped, though that may not last. The latest barometers flashed encouraging signs that the economic slowdown may not be as pronounced as some had feared. Still, there's much caution -- about housing, credit and other problems. "Economic or financial conditions could take an unexpected stumble at any time," warned Stephen Stanley, chief economist at RBS Greenwich Capital. Employers eliminated 20,000...

Employers trimmed a less-than-expected 20,000 jobs in April, marking the 4th straight month of losses; unemployment falls to 5%.

Consumers put aside worries about slumping home sales and soaring gasoline prices and headed to the malls last month, pushing spending up by the largest amount in 3½ years. The better-than-expected surge lessened fears of an imminent recession. The Commerce Department reported yesterday that consumer spending shot up 1.1 percent last month, nearly triple October's gain. It was the biggest one-month jump since a 1.2 percent rise in May 2004 and was significantly higher than the 0.7 percent gain analysts had expected. Incomes were also up last month, but the 0.4 percent increase was far below the rise in spending....

Stocks opened higher Friday following a better-than-expected rise in profits at Research in Motion Ltd. and on word that Merrill Lynch might have lined up a big cash infusion from a Singapore fund. Research in Motion said late Thursday its fiscal third-quarter profit more than doubled on strong demand for its BlackBerry smart phones. The results gave Wall Street hope that the technology sector has further to climb and that consumers and businesses are still spending.

Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez today released the following statement on the revised third quarter real gross domestic product (GDP) report, which showed that the American economy grew at 4.9 percent in the third quarter of 2007, the highest rate of GDP growth in four years: “In the face of real challenges, our resilient economy has now experienced six years of uninterrupted growth. As the holiday shopping season begins, I am pleased with today’s strong GDP report, coupled with the 1.68 million jobs added over the past year and low unemployment. President Bush’s pro-growth policies are moving our economy forward....

Employers Boost Payrolls by 94,000; Jobless Rate Holds Steady at 4.7 Percent WASHINGTON (AP) -- Employers added a solid 94,000 jobs to their payrolls in November, the unemployment rate held steady at 4.7 percent and wages grew briskly, encouraging signs the nation's employment climate is holding up in the face of turbulence in the housing and credit markets. The fresh snapshot of the labor market, released by the Labor Department on Friday, showed that hiring was brisk in education and health services, retail, professional services, the government and elsewhere. That helped to offset job losses in construction, manufacturing and financial...

Economy Grew 4.9% in 3rd Quarter, Up From Previous Estimate of 3.9% By JEFF BATER November 29, 2007 9:06 a.m. WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy soared last summer, growing at a rate much stronger than earlier estimated, but the earnings of companies were flat, the government reported Thursday. Gross domestic product rose at a 4.9% annual rate July through September, the fastest quarterly pace since 7.5% in third-quarter 2003, the Commerce Department said. The new, 4.9% estimate for third-quarter 2007 GDP reflected a revision up from a previously reported 3.9% increase. Higher inventories and exports were behind the government's revision...

Wall Street Has 2nd Straight Rally on Rate Cut Hopes, Signs That Financials Are Finding Cash NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street barreled higher Wednesday for the second day in a row, propelling the Dow Jones industrials up more than 300 points after a Federal Reserve official hinted that the central bank may lower interest rates again. Investors' renewed hopes for a rate cut added to their relief that companies that made losing bets on subprime mortgages, such as Citigroup Inc. and Freddie Mac, are coming up with ways to raise cash. Early Wednesday, Fed Vice Chairman Donald Kohn told...

Retailers cheer initial holiday sales Research group and Penney both say weekend results have started off strong. The nation's retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country. According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving... http://money.cnn.com/2007/11/24/news/economy/bc.holidayshopping.ap/index.htm?postversion=2007112417

China up over 4%, Japan up 2.4%. Pretty sure this was unexpected, looks like retail sales during the w/e were much higher than expected, up about 8%, with online purchases up 22%. Back to the Bull!

NEW YORK (AP) - The nation's retailers had a robust start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at retail outlets across the country. According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets, total sales rose 8.3 percent to about $10.3 billion on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, compared with $9.5 billion on the same day a year ago. ShopperTrak had expected an increase of no more than 4 percent to 5 percent. "This is a really strong number. ... You can't have a...

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - A year after its worst holiday sales season ever, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. may rebound to have a good season after finding the right mix of merchandise and marketing to complement its return to a focus on low prices. A whiff of this already showed up when the nation's largest retailer posted third-quarter earnings Tuesday of $2.86 billion, an 8 percent rise that beat Wall Street expectations. The company earned 70 cents per share, up from 62 cents per share in the same period a year ago. The 70 cents includes an after-tax gain equal to 1 cent...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Worker productivity surged in the summer at the fastest pace in four years while wage pressures eased. The Labor Department reported that productivity -- the amount of output per hour of work -- jumped at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the July-September quarter. That was double the 2.2 percent rise in the second quarter and represented the fastest surge in worker efficiency since 2003. At the same time, wage pressures eased with unit labor costs dropping at an annual rate of 0.2 percent, the best showing in more than a year. Both outcomes were far...

If things are so bad, why are they so good? With all the gloom coming out of Wall Street, the Democrats on the campaign trail and the mainstream media, a remarkable thing just happened: Real gross domestic product, the best summary report of the American economy, came in at a breathtaking 3.9% annual rate for the third quarter. In fact, following the 3.8% growth rate for the second quarter, the U.S. economy has posted its strongest quarterly growth in four years. The economy actually appears to be speeding up, following the relatively sluggish performance of the prior 18 months. On...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy picked up speed in the summer, growing at a brisk 3.9 percent pace, the fastest in 1 1/2 years and an impressive performance even as a credit crunch plunged the housing market deeper into turmoil. The latest snapshot of the country's economic health, released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday, suggested that the economy is demonstrating much resilience and thus far holding up well to the strains in the housing and credit markets, which had intensified during the third quarter and rocked Wall Street. Individuals ratcheted up their spending. U.S. businesses sold more goods abroad...

WASHINGTON - Retail sales posted a stronger-than-expected gain in September as a big jump in auto sales helped offset weak demand for clothing. The Commerce Department reported Friday that retail sales increased 0.6 percent September, compared to August. That was double the gain that economists had been expecting and was also in contrast to reports Thursday of sluggish demand from the nation's leading retail chains. The government data did show weakness at department stores and specialty clothing shops, where unusually warm weather dampened demand for fall clothing. In other news, the Labor Department reported that wholesale prices jumped by 1.1...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks advanced on Friday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 index (^SPX - News) to a record as a solid employment report rekindled optimism about the outlook for growth and profits. The prospect of continued strength in the economy boosted a broad range of equity sectors, including technology, basic materials, industrials, financials and consumer-oriented plays, such as retailers. Pharmaceutical shares also showed strength, with shares of Merck & Co (NYSE:MRK - News) among the top advancers in both the Dow and the S&P 500. "The unemployment report was a good report," said Stephen Carl, principal and head...

Jobs report shows September gains in line with forecasts, while earlier job loss wiped away; unemployment rate up to 4.7%. October 5 2007: 8:40 AM EDT NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Job growth was back on track in September, according to a government report that showed both a solid gain in Americans with jobs in the month, and revised away the job loss reported a month earlier. U.S. payrolls showed a net gain of 110,000 workers in the month, according to the Labor Department report. That's roughly in line with the forecast of a 100,000 gain by economists surveyed by Briefing.com....

Consumer Spending Posts Better-Than-Expected Gain While Inflation Eases WASHINGTON (AP) -- Consumers shrugged off a rash of bad news to spend more than expected in August while a key measure of inflation eased to the slowest pace in 3 1/2 years. The Commerce Department reported Friday that consumer spending rose by 0.6 percent in August, the best showing in four months and better than the 0.4 percent increase that had been expected. Incomes rose by 0.3 percent last month, slightly lower than had been expected. A closely watched gauge of inflation was up just 1.8 percent in August, compared to...

The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in seven weeks, an unexpected sign of improvement for the jobs market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for unemployment benefits totaled 311,000 last week, a drop of 9,000 from the previous week. It marked the lowest level for jobless claims since July 28. The decline came as a surprise for economists who had been forecasting a rise in claims of around 6,000. The four-week average for claims, which smooths out some of the volatility, also showed an improvement, falling to 320,750 from...

Applications for Unemployment Benefits Show Unexpected Drop WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in seven weeks, an unexpected sign of improvement for the jobs market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that new applications for unemployment benefits totaled 311,000 last week, a drop of 9,000 from the previous week. It marked the lowest level for jobless claims since July 28. The decline came as a surprise for economists who had been forecasting a rise in claims of around 6,000. The four-week average for claims, which smooths out some of...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stocks opened higher Thursday after fewer-than-expected workers sought unemployment benefits last week and on a possible agreement between automakers and workers over health care costs. The Dow Jones industrial average rose more than 100 points. The Labor Department reported claims for unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 last week to 319,000 -- the sixth increase in seven weeks -- but the number was less than the 325,000 claims analysts expected. Low unemployment, at 4.6 percent, has been one of the economy's strengths. Shares of General Motors Corp. jumped sharply after The Wall Street Journal reported that UAW...

The economy grew at its strongest pace in more than a year during the spring as solid improvements in international trade and business investment helped offset weakness in housing. The gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, expanded at an annual rate of 4 percent in the April-June quarter, significantly higher than the 3.4 percent rate the government had initially estimated a month ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. But the growth spurt could be short-lived. There are concerns that the recent turmoil in financial markets, a result of a spreading credit crisis, could seriously dampen economic activity...

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ended its calmest week in a month with a big advance yesterday, rising on solid economic readings that countered the bleak sentiment that has blanketed the financial markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 140 points in a lightly traded session. Stocks started out flat but jumped following a stronger-than-expected reading on new-home sales for July. That report came after a reading showing orders to factories for big-ticket goods rose sharply last month. The stock market's gains yesterday after several stable or positive sessions suggested that Federal Reserve policy-makers and stock market...

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Sales of new home increased 2.8% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 870,000 as the inventory of homes for sale dropped for a fourth straight month, the Commerce Department estimated Friday. Sales were stronger than the 820,000 annualized pace expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. See Economic Calendar. In addition, sales in June were revised slightly higher. Sales are down 10.2% compared with last July. Read the full report. Stocks turned higher after the report was released. See Market Snapshot. Inventories of unsold homes fell about 1% to 533,000, the fourth consecutive decline. At...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal deficit so far this budget year is running sharply lower, driven by record revenues pouring into government coffers. The Treasury Department reported on Friday that the government produced a deficit of $157.3 billion for the budget year that began last Oct. 1. That's a substantial improvement from the red ink figure of $239.6 billion produced for the corresponding 10-month period last year. The lower year-to-date deficit was the result of a record of $2.12 trillion in revenues. Spending, however, was higher — $2.27 trillion, which also marked an all-time high. The White House predicts that...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dow industrials surged 286 points Monday, posting its biggest point gain of the year, helped by financial sector strength just ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. The Dow Jones industrial average (up 262.24 to 13,444.15, Charts) soared 286 points, or 2.16 percent, based on early tallies, rebounding from a 281 point late session selloff Friday. The broader S&P 500 (up 31.47 to 1,464.53, Charts) gained 2.4 percent while the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index (up 31.80 to 2,543.05, Charts) climbed 1.4 percent. Treasury prices retreated, raising the benchmark yield on the 10-year note rising to...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy snapped out of a lethargic spell and grew at a 3.4 percent pace in the second quarter, the strongest showing in more than a year. A revival in business spending was a main force behind the energized performance. snip Inflation -- outside a burst in energy and food prices -- moderated. The second quarter's performance was better than the 3.2 percent growth rate economists were expecting. It was the strongest showing since the first quarter of 2006, when the economy expanded at a brisk 4.8 percent annual rate. Gross domestic product measures the value of...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy snapped out of a lethargic spell and grew at a 3.4 percent pace in the second quarter, the strongest showing in more than a year. A revival in business spending was a main force behind the energized performance. The new reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Friday, marked a big improvement from the first three months of this year, when economic growth skidded to a near halt at just a 0.6 percent pace, the slowest in more than four years. Stronger spending by businesses and government powered the rebound in...

Wall Street moved soundly higher Thursday, sending the Dow Jones industrials to their first close above 14,000 as investors kept jitters about the economy at bay and focused on a string of upbeat earnings reports. The Standard & Poor's 500 index also had a record close. Profit news from companies like International Business Machines Corp., network equipment maker Juniper Networks Inc., and business software company SAP AG help lift stocks and boosted investors' appetite for technology issues. Resurgent concerns about the health of subprime loans, which are made to borrowers with poor credit history, hurt financial stocks, while a report...

Blue chip average closes in on another record high, but broader market struggles ahead of a slew of earnings news, inflation reports. By Jessica Dickler, CNNMoney.com staff writer July 16 2007: 2:59 PM EDT NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Dow Jones industrial average looked poised to finish in record territory for the third straight session Monday, as the broader market struggled ahead of the week's earnings figures and inflation reports. The Dow (up 36.58 to 13,943.83, Charts) added 0.3 percent after ending the previous session above 13,900 for the first time ever. Earlier in the session the blue-chip index came...

Stocks Surge Following Retail Sales Reports; S&P and Dow Set New Record Closes NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street soared Thursday, propelling the Standard & Poor's 500 index and Dow Jones industrials to record highs as bright spots among generally sluggish retail sales allowed investors to toss aside concerns about the health of the economy. The rally, which included the Dow's biggest one-day gain in more than four years, was perhaps surprising given that there was no extraordinary announcement or other catalyst usually seen with such a huge gain, and that it came before most companies have announced their second-quarter...

The nation's manufacturing sector showed surprising strength in April, growing at a faster-than-expected pace and pushing up prices for fuel, metals and corn-based products, a trade group said Tuesday. The Institute for Supply Management, based in Tempe, Ariz., said its manufacturing index registered 54.7, above the March reading of 50.9 and Wall Street's expectation of 51. It was the highest reading in 11 months, when it also registered 54.7. A reading above 50 indicates growth for the sector, while a reading below 50 indicates contraction. A sharp spike in the prices paid index fueled ongoing concerns over inflation and interest...

The U.S. economy turned in a surprisingly strong performance last year, new data show, growing 3.4 percent despite higher interest rates, high oil prices and the sharpest housing downturn in 15 years. The report from the Commerce Department, showing that economic growth picked up in 2006 from the 3.2 percent growth of 2005, dispelled any lingering doubts about the momentum of the economy going into this year. Many economists predict growth will slow this year, but gone are the recession worries of last summer. "Nothing, other than an external shock, will derail the economy this year," said Eugenio J. Alem?n,...

The U.S. economy resurged at the end of 2006, overcoming a slump in housing as consumers, sustained by lower energy prices, ramped up spending. Gross domestic product climbed at a seasonally adjusted 3.5% annual rate October through December, the Commerce Department said Wednesday in its first of three readings on fourth-quarter GDP. That was up from 2% in the third quarter. A price inflation gauge within the report posted its biggest drop in 52 years. For the whole year, GDP, which acts as a scoreboard for the economy by measuring all goods and services produced, advanced 3.4%, compared to a...

(AP) WASHINGTON Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rose in December by the largest amount in three months, led by a huge jump in demand for commercial aircraft and the biggest increase in orders for cars and trucks in more than two years. The Commerce Department reported Friday that new orders for durable goods rose 3.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted total of $221.9 billion. The gain followed a 2.2 percent November increase and was the strongest showing since an 8.7 percent September advance. Orders for commercial aircraft surged by 26.5 percent, reflecting the sizable 212...

U.S. stocks rallied on Wednesday, with the Dow closing at a lifetime high, amid optimism about technology earnings after Yahoo Inc. said a new Web advertising system would add to profits sooner than expected and Sun Microsystems Inc. posted a surprise profit. Based on latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> was up 87.65 points, or 0.70 percent, at 12,621.45. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was up 12.11 points, or 0.85 percent, at 1,440.10. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was up 34.87 points, or 1.43 percent, at 2,466.28.

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks finished the year with strong gains, with all three major stock averages booking their best performance since 2003. The Dow Jones At the unofficial 4 p.m. close on Friday, the final trading session of the year, marking a 16% gain for the year. This was the Dow's best performance since 2003. General Motors Corp. (

( Reuters) - U.S. consumer confidence rebounded in December, rising to an eight-month high as consumers' view of the labor market improved, a survey showed on Thursday. The Conference Board said its index of consumer sentiment climbed to 109.0 in December -- its highest reading since April 2006 -- from an upwardly revised 105.3 in November. Economists polled by Reuters on average had forecast a December reading of 102.0. But Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said there was little to suggest sharp improvement in overall economic activity in the fourth quarter of the year. ``Given...

Employers Boosted Payrolls by 132,000, Unemployment Rate Edges Up to 4.5 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Employers boosted payrolls by a respectable 132,000 in November, but the unemployment rate edged up to 4.5 percent as jobseekers streamed into the labor market by the thousands with the onrushing holidays. The tally of new jobs added to the economy last month marked an improvement from the 79,000 new positions generated in October and was the most since September, the Labor Department reported Friday. It was mostly a cheerful economic message at a time of year when shopping peaks. Although the unemployment rate crept up...

Wages, benefits up at 2-year best pace By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer 19 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Wages and benefits paid to American workers rose in the July-September period at the fastest pace in more than two years. The Labor Department reported that its Employment Cost Index was up 1 percent in the third quarter, compared to a 0.9 percent rise in the April-June period. It was the biggest quarterly increase since a similar 1 percent rise in the second quarter of 2004. The increase, which was above the 0.9 percent rise that economists had been expecting, was led...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- New orders for U.S.-made durable goods climbed on strong civilian aircraft sales in September, but core orders gained only modestly, a government report said on Thursday likely to confirm the inflation-wary Federal Reserve's projection of modest economic growth. Orders for durable goods -items meant to last three or more years - leaped a much greater-than-expected 7.8 percent in September on a rush of civilian aircraft orders, a Commerce Department report showed. But orders rose a smaller-than-forecast 0.1 percent when volatile transportation orders were stripped from the total. U.S. Treasury debt prices rose and the dollar slipped against...

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks were on the rise late in Thursday's session, after a fresh batch of earnings reports led by Exxon Mobil Corp., Dow Chemical, Comcast Corp and others lifted the S&P 500 Index to its best level in about six years. ADVERTISEMENT With less than an hour of trade left, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, meanwhile, was on track to close at a record for the fourth straight session, while the Nasdaq Composite flirted with six-month highs.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street extended its October rally Monday as investors grew more optimistic about upcoming earnings reports and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will cut capital spending to drive overall returns. The Dow Jones industrials shot up more than 110 points and crossed 12,100 for the first time. Generally upbeat reports have instilled a new confidence about the future in investors, and allowed them to lay down some bets about the future just half-way through third-quarter earnings season.