AP - Americans spent freely for a second straight month in July, driving their personal savings rate down to the lowest level on record, the government reported Thursday.

FT.com - The US dollar fell sharply for a third straight day in European morning trade on Friday as traders fretted that the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina will weaken US growth and deter the Federal Reserve from hiking interest rates any further.

AFP - Could a debilitating slowdown to the world's biggest economy be the final sting in Hurricane Katrina's long and deadly tail?

AFP - The dollar dropped against the euro and yen, amid concern that damage to the US economy caused by Hurricane Katrina could result in a pause in a cycle of US interest rate increases.

AFP - The dollar bounced back against the euro as profit-taking set in on a quiet trading day.

AFP - The dollar dipped against the euro but rose against the yen, as markets awaited a speech by a key Federal Reserve official for clues on the future direction of US interest rates after Hurricane Katrina.

FT.com - US Treasury note yields on Thursday hovered around their highest levels since Hurricane Katrina struck as investors continued to debate the US Federal Reserve's likely stance and watched oil prices and equities for clues to direction.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow told Bloomberg Television on Friday that U.S. economic growth would probably dip by closer to 1/2 percentage point in the second half of this year because of the Hurricane Katrina.

Reuters - Credit and debit cards are rapidly replacing paper checks as the most popular means of payment in the United States, changing the way such payments are processed, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia said on Saturday.

Reuters - U.S. chain store retail sales fell in the latest week, as higher energy prices forced consumers to cut back on nonessential purchases, a retail report said on Tuesday.

USATODAY.com - Minorities are far more likely than whites to take out higher-priced loans to buy or refinance a home and are denied loans more often. The differences can be explained largely - but not fully - by such factors as income, the Federal Reserve said.

AP - A total of 68,000 Americans who lost their jobs due to Hurricane Katrina filed for unemployment benefits last week, pushing these applications up by the largest amount in nearly a decade.

FT.com - European stocks were poised for a flat to lower open on Friday as investors keep their powder dry ahead the weekend's German election and next week's interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve.

Investor's Business Daily - Hurricane Katrina won't be enough to derail another Federal Reserve tightening this week. But her devastation might loosen its tongue.

AFP - The Federal Reserve faces a tough decision on interest rates as it mulls another interest rate hike after what may be a major blow to the US economy from Hurricane Katrina.

Reuters - Investors should see stocks snap back next week and resume their September rally as long as any comments from the Federal Reserve on inflation and the economic effects of Hurricane Katrina are relatively benign.

AFP - For once, Wall Street pundits are riven by doubt over which way the Federal Reserve will go when it holds its first meeting since Hurricane Katrina Tuesday.

AP - GROWING CONCERN: Analysts believe the decision by the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates Tuesday demonstrates the central bank's concern about inflation.

AFP - With the US economy still hurting from Katrina, experts said that Hurricane Rita has the potential to deliver another powerful economic blow if it stays on course toward the Texas coast.

FT.com - In the US the Federal Reserve again raised interest rates , this time to 3.75 per cent, despite the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina.

AP - Alan Greenspan's friends in international finance do not want his departure from the Federal Reserve to go unnoticed, so they are throwing him a party.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow on Saturday told Chinese officials greater exchange rate flexibility is necessary to help the global economy deal with economic distortions, a U.S. official said.

Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters)- Though mortgage debt is rising, most Americans have built up so much equity in their homes that they could weather a price drop without serious harm. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Monday.

Reuters - U.S. chain store sales slowed in the fourth week of September, as retailers complained that a combination of warm weather and hurricanes led to sluggish sales, a report said on Tuesday.

FT.com - European stocks were poised for a higher open on Wednesday after Wall Street bounced strongly in response to a speech by Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve chairman, on the resilience of the US economy.

AP - The number of Americans thrown out of work by Hurricane Katrina climbed by another 60,000 last week, pushing the total number of unemployed workers seeking jobless benefits because of the storm to 279,000.

FT.com - A chorus of comments from Federal Reserve officials this week has pushed the dollar near two-month highs against the euro and the yen.