Reuters - The combined punch of subprime mortgage defaults and heavy debt remains the biggest risk to the health of the U.S. economy, a panel of business economists said on Monday.

AFP - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke called Tuesday for a 'vigorous response' to help stem rising home foreclosures, saying some banks and lenders could do more to help ease the US housing crunch.

Reuters - U.S. private employment fell unexpectedly for the first time in nearly five years in February, according to a private report on Wednesday that dealt another blow to an economy teetering on the brink of recession.

AP - U.S. stocks headed for a moderately lower open Thursday as investors awaited figures on home sales and monthly sales reports from retailers.

AP - The Federal Reserve said Friday it is taking bigger steps to ease the nation's credit crisis, including increasing the amount of money it will auction to banks this month to $100 billion.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Friday reiterated his view that a strong dollar was in the U.S. interest and the greenback's value would ultimately reflect strong economic fundamentals.

Reuters - The U.S. economy is going through a rough patch but, thanks to a government fiscal package worth some $150 billion, should start recovering as soon as the second quarter, a senior Treasury official said on Tuesday.

AP - Foreign investment in China rose 38.3 percent in February from a year ago to $6.9 billion, the Commerce Ministry reported Wednesday.

AP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Thursday that a presidential working group wants stronger regulatory oversight of mortgage lenders to avert the kind of credit crisis that is dragging the economy down.

The Christian Science Monitor - Six months after the Enron scandal in 2001, Congress approved far-reaching legislation that restored public confidence in corporate America and helped send the stock market soaring.

AP - The rally in energy prices gained momentum Friday, with retail gas prices rising further into record territory and diesel and heating oil futures setting records of their own amid concerns about strong global demand and tight supplies.

AFP - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Sunday the US government was 'prepared to do what it takes' to ensure the stability of the reeling financial system.

Reuters - There will be many casualties from the unfolding financial market crisis, which will lead to a large-scale overhaul of international banking regulations, codes and risk management, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said.

Reuters - More than three in four Americans think the United States is in a recession according to a USA Today/Gallup Poll released on Tuesday.

Reuters - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said on Wednesday that the economy is going through a 'rough patch,' a day after the Federal Reserve slashed interest rates to try to protect the economy from financial turmoil.

Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing initial claims for unemployment aid climbed 22,000 last week, while the overall number on the benefit rolls hit a 3-1/2 year high a week earlier, the government said on Thursday.

Reuters - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Friday that the nation's most populous state was going through an economic slowdown, but hailed an increase in jobs in the latest employment report.

AP - A survey says the national average price for gasoline rose 7 cents over the last two weeks.

Reuters - Oil prices ticked up on Monday, reversing losses earlier as a surprise jump in February existing home sales in the United States eased concerns over the economic health of the world's top consumer.

AP - Fighting to ease a dangerous credit crisis, the Federal Reserve has provided a total of $260 billion in short-term loans to squeezed banks since December to help them overcome credit problems.

Reuters - Sales of new homes in the United States probably deteriorated again in February, according to a Reuters poll, as the beleaguered housing market continues to search for bottom.

Reuters - More Californians are willing to consider tax increases as part of a strategy to trim the budget deficit in the nation's most populous state, according to a poll released late on Wednesday.

Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Friday that an economic stimulus program that will put $168 billion into consumers' hands this year and next could help create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

AP - BNSF Railway Co., the nation's top hauler of container rail freight, is parking miles of railcars in Montana and elsewhere because there isn't enough freight to keep them rolling.

Reuters - The U.S. housing secretary will resign Monday morning under pressure after accusations of improper allocation of federal contracts, the Wall Street Journal reported in its Monday edition.