AFP - Unemployment in the 15 nations sharing the euro held steady in February at a record low point of 7.1 percent despite slowing economic activity, official European Union data showed on Tuesday.

AP - Turmoil on Wall Street and a sluggish economy finally slowed home sales in the Big Apple in the first quarter, but a slew of big-ticket apartment sales bolstered prices, according to two reports released Wednesday.

AFP - The US Congress Thursday steps up scrutiny of the government role in the rescue of Bear Stearns, even as Fed chairman Ben Bernanke argued the central bank 'did not bail out' the Wall Street investment giant.

AP - Retail gas prices surged to a new record above $3.30 a gallon Friday and appear poised to rise further in coming weeks as gasoline supplies tighten.

The Christian Science Monitor - From his vantage point, David Winslow does not see a recession or rising unemployment rate. Instead, the founder of a software company in Burlington, Vt., sees a hiring opportunity.

AP - An industry group said Tuesday that pending U.S. home sales fell in February to the lowest reading since the index began, signaling the housing market distress is not yet over.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve is looking at contingency plans for bolstering its lending power in case recent measures it has taken to unfreeze the credit markets fail, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Reuters - The U.S. economy has already slipped into recession or will do so this year, according to a forecast of economists in the Blue Chip Economic Indicators Survey released on Thursday.

AP - The world's top financial officials, shaken by a credit crisis that has roiled markets around the world, are working on regulatory reforms that they hope will restore confidence in the markets.

Reuters - The International Monetary Fund should sharpen its focus on currency exchange rate surveillance, challenges posed by sovereign wealth funds and supporting global financial market stability, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said on Saturday.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson warned on Sunday that governments should resist temptation to try to control soaring food costs through price controls, which he said would likely make the situation worse.

Reuters - Baby boomers say they are worried about achieving a comfortable retirement, but a new study suggests Generation X is even more pessimistic.

AP - Oil prices rose to an intraday trading record above $112 a barrel Tuesday after the U.S. dollar fell further and crude supplies to the U.S. and elsewhere were disrupted.

AP - The construction of new homes plunged in March to the lowest level in 17 years, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

AP - The number of newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits last week increased by more than had been expected, reflecting pressure from the weak economy.

AP - Retail gas prices set new records Friday on their seemingly relentless march toward $3.50 a gallon, and diesel prices pushed further above $4 a gallon.

AP - The massive cranes slicing the skies over Brazil, Dubai and China can't come off the assembly lines fast enough at Manitowoc Co.'s manufacturing plants here and overseas.

AP - Retail gas prices reached another new milestone Monday, jumping to an average $3.50 a gallon at filling stations across the country. Crude oil prices, meanwhile, kept setting records of their own, spiking to a record above $117 a barrel Monday after a Japanese oil tanker was attacked in the Middle East.

Reuters - Americans are cash-strapped and many say if they lost their jobs, they would lose their homes, according to a survey published on Tuesday by AOL Real Estate and Zogby International.

AP - Oil prices steadied Wednesday after climbing in the previous session to a record near $120 a barrel on the weakening U.S. dollar and concerns about unstable supply amid firm global demand.

AP - Newly laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits posted a sharp decline last week.

AP - Oil prices rose sharply Friday as investors refocused their attention on supply concerns — buying on a pipeline attack in Nigeria and a looming refinery strike in Scotland — and ignored the strengthening dollar. Retail gas prices as expected rose further into record territory, nearing $3.60 a gallon.

AP - Scott Piechocinski roamed the rows of a CarMax dealership in Charlotte, N.C., on a recent afternoon, searching for something small to replace his son's 2001 Nissan Pathfinder sport utility vehicle.

AP - President-elect Fernando Lugo has tapped an austerity-minded former economy minister fired by his predecessor to return to the post, his running mate said Sunday.

AP - The European Union expects inflation to rise by more than a full point this year to 3.2 percent, pushed higher by soaring energy and food prices.

AP - Paying for gasoline easily tops the list of economic woes facing families in the United States, according to a survey on how changes in the economy have affected people's lives.

Reuters - The U.S. economy may be in a funk, but that's nothing compared with the pall hanging over Wall Street.