AP - Economic growth could reach 2.5 percent this year, a German minister said in remarks published Sunday, among the most optimistic forecasts yet for Europe's largest economy.

AP - Japanese executives are the most optimistic they've been in two years about the economy, a key central bank survey showed Monday, possibly boosting chances for an early interest rate hike.

AP - Orders to U.S. factories for manufactured goods were weak for a second consecutive month as the nation's manufacturing sector sent signals it was shifting into a lower gear.

Reuters - New claims for U.S. jobless aid fell by a more-than-expected 17,000 last week to the lowest level since mid-July, Labor Department data showed on Thursday, but the four-week average of claims changed little.

Reuters - U.S. employers added a scant 51,000 jobs in September, far below market expectations, according to a government report on Friday that showed broad weakness manufacturing and retail sectors.

FT.com - The US economy added many more jobs than previously estimated in the later stages of the current cycle, dramatic new data revealed on Friday, raising theprospect that the labour market today may also be tighter than previously thought.

FT.com - Bond markets in the US, Eurozone and Japan have rallied strongly in the second half of this year, making equity market valuations look relatively more attractive. US 10-year bond yields have fallen by about 60 basis points since late June as investors have started to price in early rate cuts by the Federal Reserve next year. Helped by the retreat in oil prices and increasing confidence that the US economy will escape recession, the Dow Jones Industrial Average pushed to a record high last week.

Reuters - U.S. retail sales rose in September as lower gasoline prices and a soaring stock market bolstered consumer spending, according to final data by SpendingPulse on Monday.

AFP - The dollar has struck a near 10-month peak against the yen and the highest point for almost three months against the euro as the market forecast a rosier outlook for the US economy.

Reuters - U.S. home sales for the year will be weaker and price appreciation will be smaller than previously forecast, a realtors group said on Wednesday.

AP - The number of newly laid off workers who filed claims for unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 last week, the Labor Department reported.

AP - Retail sales across the country rose by a healthy 0.6 percent last month, aside from a substantial plunge in gas prices. A 9.3 percent drop in sales figures from service stations caused the overall retail sales number to fall by 0.4 percent, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The 9.3 percent slide was the biggest-ever drop in that category.

AP - A sharp rise in oil prices has led the gross domestic product of Arab states last year to increase to more than $1 trillion for the first time, the chairman of a pan-Arab economic council said Sunday.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday that bank regulators should search for ways to reduce regulatory burdens imposed on the financial system in the government's efforts to battle terrorist financing and money laundering.

AP - Wholesale inflation plunged by the largest amount in more than three years in September as a record drop in gasoline prices offset higher costs for cars and other items. And in a sign of a slowing economy, industrial output dropped by the largest amount in a year.

AP - Consumer prices, helped by big declines in gasoline and other energy products, fell in September by the largest amount in 10 months.

AP - A closely watched gauge of future economic activity rose in September following two consecutive declines, as consumer expectations improved, an industry-backed research group said Thursday

FT.com - The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep US interest rates unchanged at 5¼ per cent on Wednesday and the main focus of attention this week will be the third-quarter gross domestic product data on Friday which could reinvigorate concerns about the possibility of a hard landing for the US economy in 2007.

Reuters - U.S. Federal Reserve officials were universally expected to decide on Wednesday to keep interest rates steady but could heighten a warning on inflation to make clear they will raise rates again if needed.

Reuters - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Thursday both private investors and central bank were shifting away from the U.S. dollar and toward the euro.

AFP - The US economy has crawled to an annual growth rate of 1.6 percent in the third quarter as the housing market slumped, the government said.

AP - A congressional advisory panel's draft report is urging lawmakers to push for tough action against China on two festering trade disputes: intellectual property protection and Washington's view that China's currency is undervalued.

FT.com - European equity markets were lower on Tuesday as investors continued profit taking amid fears over a slowing US economy.