Reuters - Manufacturing last month expanded at its fastest pace in almost a year, while pending home sales in March fell to their lowest in four years, according to reports on Tuesday that gave mixed signals on the economy.

AP - With budget deficits improving, the government said Wednesday it is discontinuing sales of three-year Treasury notes.

Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell unexpectedly by 21,000 to the lowest level of claims since January, a Labor Department report showed on Thursday.

Reuters - The U.S. economy added a modest 88,000 jobs in April, the slimmest gain in more than two years, and unemployment edged up, a government report showed on Friday, signaling a softening job market in a sluggish economy.

AFP - Despite a sputtering US economy, the Federal Reserve is likely to hold fire on interest rates as it waits for either an easing of inflation or a pickup in growth, analysts say.

AP - The European Commission on Monday forecast faster economic growth than expected this year for nations using the euro and for the full European Union, with unemployment dropping to the lowest levels in 15 years.

AP - The Federal Reserve left a key interest rate unchanged on Wednesday, as the economy signaled that it was on track for a soft landing in which growth slows enough to restrain inflation.

AP - Rates on 30-year mortgages edged lower for the third week out of the past four, reflecting further evidence that slower economic growth will help keep inflation in check.

AP - Retail sales fell in April for the first time in seven months as surging gasoline prices made consumers more cautious about spending in other areas.

AP - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills fell in Monday's auction with the six-month bill dropping to the lowest point in more than a year.

FT.com - Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, has implicitly criticised Alan Greenspan for providing a commentary on the US economy after stepping down as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

AP - Japanese economic growth slowed to a 2.4 percent pace in the first quarter as businesses cut back on investment amid worries about a slowdown in the United States, one of Japan's biggest export markets.

AFP - The dollar rose close to a three-month pinnacle against the yen on Friday owing to brighter prospects for the US economy and Japan's weaker-than-expected first-quarter economic growth, dealers said.

Reuters - Russia will not allow indebted state companies to default, Economy Minister German Gref told reporters on Saturday.

Reuters - Troubles in the U.S. housing market will weigh on economic growth this year even more than earlier estimated, according to a forecast of economists released on Monday.

AFP - The dollar firmed against the euro and the yen on Tuesday, as dealers set aside evidence of rising investor confidence in Germany and looked instead to easing concerns over the US economy.

AFP - The dollar struck a three-month peak against the yen on Wednesday and weighed on the euro owing to better prospects for the US economy, traders said.

Reuters - New orders for U.S. durable goods rose by a weaker-than-expected 0.6 percent in April as volatile transportation orders fell, while initial claims for jobless benefits rose by 15,000 in the latest week, government reports showed on Thursday.

AFP - China is on course to catch up with the United States and join the front ranks of world economic powers, but that is little cause for concern even among Americans, a global survey said Monday.

Reuters - China's trade surplus will reach $250-300 billion in 2007, driven by the country's price competitiveness and strong external demand, the top economic planner said on Tuesday.

AP - NAME — Robert B. Zoellick.

Reuters - A gauge of U.S. online recruitment activity rose for a fifth straight month in May as demand for workers eased slightly but remained strong, a global online careers and recruiting firm, said on Thursday.