Reuters - Manufacturing expansion slowed in September, as new orders and production slipped but employment improved, according to a survey published on Monday.

AFP - Global oil prices fell slightly Tuesday in profit taking as traders worried about lower energy use in a softening US economy and awaited the latest snapshot on inventories in the United States.

Reuters - Planned U.S. layoffs fell nearly 10 percent in September as the slump in housing continued to hurt payrolls, an independent report showed on Wednesday.

AP - North and South Korea agreed Thursday to expand economic cooperation that has flourished this decade in line with greatly reduced political tensions on their divided peninsula.

AP - The results of this week's inter-Korean summit will inspire investor confidence by easing geopolitical tensions on the divided peninsula, South Korea's finance minister predicted Friday.

AFP - The US job-creation machine kept cranking during the mid-year credit squeeze -- despite fears of a stall a month ago -- prompting analysts to once again tear up their forecasts for the US economy.

FT.com - There is a massive absurdity at the heart of the US economy - and now corporate America is expected to pay for it. The farce that fuels America works like this: US companies employ millions of illegal workers and the US government pretends it does not notice.

Reuters - The credit crunch that has troubled financial markets in recent months will also take its toll on the U.S. economy eventually, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said on Wednesday.

AP - The U.S. trade deficit fell to the lowest level in seven months, helped by record-high sales of American products and the declining value of the dollar. The deficit with China declined as imports edged down slightly following a string of high-profile recalls.

Reuters - U.S. consumer sentiment is estimated to have remained steady in early October, according to a Reuters poll of economists.

AP - The World Trade Organization has found that the United States failed to scrap a series of illegal subsidies paid to American cotton growers, a ruling that could open the door to billions of dollars' in Brazilian trade sanctions against the U.S., trade officials said Monday.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson warned on Tuesday that the housing correction would continue to hurt the U.S. economy and financial markets for some time and called for assistance for home owners at risk of losing their primary residences.

Reuters - Housing starts likely sank further in September from a 12-year low set in August, as lenders have made it more difficult for borrowers to get loans and a record supply of unsold houses lingers.

AP - President Hu Jintao gave the longest public speech of his political life this week, dwelling at length on the Communist Party's social goals but spending little time on the economy. Hours later, the Shanghai stock market's key index hit a new high.

Reuters - The U.S. factory sector and the job market showed surprising weakness in data released on Thursday, raising concerns the Federal Reserve may need to deliver more interest rate cuts to shore up the economy.

Reuters - Business activity, capital spending and hiring slowed in the third quarter in response to tightening credit conditions and a rapidly deteriorating housing market, an industry survey showed on Monday.

FT.com - Commodity markets steadied on Tuesday, consolidating after downward pressure on prices on concerns about the outlook for the US economy which affected the entire complex in the previous session.

AP - China's supercharged economy grew by a stunning 11.5 percent in the third quarter, slowing slightly amid authorities' efforts to avert overheating but staying on track to overtake Germany as the world's third-largest economy within weeks, according to data reported Thursday.

Reuters - The share of homes owned but empty edged back up in the third quarter toward a record set earlier this year, the Census Bureau said on Friday, another sign of weakness in the housing sector.

AP - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction with rates on three-month bills rising while six-month bills dropped to the lowest level in two years.

Reuters - Consumer confidence declined for the third month in a row in October to its lowest level in two years on growing concerns about weakening business conditions and the impact that could have on the job market.

AFP - The US economy grew by a robust 3.9 percent in the third quarter from a year ago, up from a 3.8 percent pace in the prior quarter, the government said Wednesday.