Hopes for the fledgling economic recovery got a boost Monday from better-than-expected news on manufacturing, construction and contracts to buy homes. ...more

November 3, 2009

Retail gasoline prices chugged higher Friday to a new peak for the year, forcing consumers to dig deeper into already-thin wallets to pay for fuel. ...more

October 31, 2009

Fueled by government stimulus, the economy grew last quarter for the first time in more than a year. The question now is, can the recovery last? ...more

October 30, 2009

The number of buyers snapping up new homes dipped unexpectedly in September as the effects of a temporary tax credit for first-time owners started to wear off. ...more

October 29, 2009

In other economic news: •Retail sales slip again. The Commerce Department said retail sales dipped 1.1 percent in March. It was the biggest decline in three months and a much weaker showing than the 0.3 percent increase that analysts expected. A big drop in auto sales led the overall slump in demand. Auto sales in March were 23.5 percent below year-ago levels. Sales also plunged at clothing stores, appliance outlets and furniture stores. ...more

April 15, 2009

The government says consumers increased spending for a second straight month in February even though their incomes slipped because of continuing layoffs. ...more

March 28, 2009

The economy shrank at a 6.3 percent pace at the end of 2008, the worst showing in a quarter-century, and probably isn't doing much better now. ...more

March 26, 2009

New glimmers of hope emerged in economic figures released Wednesday: •The Commerce Department said orders for durable goods, manufactured products expected to last at least three years, increased 3.4 percent in February, much better than the 2 percent economists had expected. It was the strongest one-month gain in 14 months. ...more

March 26, 2009

It was the second-worst month on record for sales of new homes. But last month still brought a long-awaited shred of good news for the battered building industry. ...more

March 26, 2009

The era of the consumer-driven economy may be over. After powering U.S. and global growth for more than a generation, the American consumer has run out of gas. Burdened by debt and no longer able to borrow against rising home and stock values, U.S. households have begun a retreat in spending that will require the nation and the world to find new economic drivers, economists say. ...more

March 24, 2009