AP - The U.S. dollar gained on the euro Friday following the release of labor market data in Washington and a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

AP - Construction spending rose a strong 0.7 percent in January as low mortgage rates continued to bolster home building and nonresidential construction climbed to the highest level in more than two years.

Reuters - Growth at U.S. factories slowed slightly in March as hiring intentions eased, an industry survey showed on Friday.

AFP - The Federal Reserve is expected to raise US interest rates again Tuesday to quell inflationary pressures in the world's biggest economy, despite evidence of slowing growth.

AP - Construction spending rose a healthy 0.5 percent to a record level in April, as office construction surged and activity in the red-hot housing market hit an all-time high, the government reported Wednesday.

USATODAY.com - Despite posting gains the past three months, stocks enter the second half of the year in the red and face a murky outlook amid fears the Federal Reserve might not stop raising interest rates as early as Wall Street thought.

Reuters - U.S. manufacturing grew more quickly than expected in July as new orders and employment grew and prices paid declined, according to a survey published on Monday.

AP - Americans spent freely for a second straight month in July, driving their personal savings rate down to the lowest level on record, the government reported Thursday.

FT.com - US blue chip stocks fell on Monday after data showed an unexpected recovery in September manufacturing activity, raising fears the Federal Reserve would continue to raise interest rates.

AP - The dollar rose to a 25-month high against the yen Tuesday amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise U.S. interest rates later in the day.

AP - Farm credit conditions in some parts of the West and Midwest weakened in the third quarter, with more producers falling behind on loan payments and asking for extensions, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

AP - France's economic growth accelerated in the third quarter as a rebound in exports and consumer spending helped lift gross domestic product after an anemic second quarter.

AP - Construction spending climbed to an all-time high in December, helping to push building for all of 2005 to a record as well.

AP - The 'worst is behind' for Japan's once moribund economy but neighboring China must do more to balance its breakneck growth rate and allow its currency to be more flexible, U.S. Undersecretary of Treasury Tim Adams said Wednesday.

Reuters - Chinese consumers will pay only 1 percent more for goods and services in 2006 as overcapacity pushes inflation down from last year's 1.8 percent, government and university researchers said in a report published on Sunday.

Reuters - U.S. construction spending jumped 0.9 percent in March, more than twice expectations, to a record high on the back of soaring outlays on private residential building, a government report showed on Monday.

Reuters - U.S. construction spending unexpectedly dipped 0.1 percent in April, its first decline in 10 months, due to a sharp drop in outlays on residential building, a government report showed on Thursday.

AP - Construction spending fell in May by the largest amount in nearly two years as the once booming housing sector suffered another big decline.

AP - Consumer spending was weak for a fourth straight month in June as rising gasoline prices left Americans with little to spend on other items. Construction activity posted a stronger-than-expected advance, though, as a record level of government spending helped offset weakness in housing.

AP - The nation's manufacturing sector grew at a slower clip in August than in July, a trade group said Friday.

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.

Reuters - Growth in U.S. factory activity slowed more than expected in October, according to a survey published on Wednesday.

AP - The nation's manufacturing sector contracted in November for the first time in more than three years, a trade group said Friday.

AP - The nation's manufacturing sector expanded in December to the market's surprise, reversing a contraction a month earlier.

AFP - One year after Ben Bernanke took the helm at the Federal Reserve, the central bank appears to have achieved a sought-after "soft landing" for the US economy.

AP - The rate of increase in U.S. home prices remained steady in the fourth quarter of 2006, extending the slowing trend that began earlier in the year, federal regulators reported Thursday.

AP - Confidence among Japanese manufacturers slipped in March for the first time in a year, according to a closely-watched Bank of Japan survey released Monday.

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 - Consumers' incomes dipped in April but that didn't stop them from spending briskly. The Commerce Department reported Friday that personal incomes fell by 0.1 percent in April, following a robust increase of 0.8 percent in March.

AP - Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills were mixed in Monday's auction, with three-month bills rising to the highest level in more than two months while six-month bills were unchanged.

Reuters - New applications for jobless benefits rose by 4,000 last week, government data showed on Thursday, underscoring continued strength in the labor market.

Reuters - In rare public criticism of Alan Greenspan, former U.S. Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor said on Saturday that ultra-low Federal Reserve interest rates had stoked the U.S. housing boom and subsequent bust.

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

AFP - Global stocks saw mixed fortunes Thursday with many investors remaining cautious about the outlook for the US economy despite the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate cut, dealers said.

AP - The European Championship will be a big moneymaker for its hosts, Austria and Switzerland, even without England and its 40,000 traveling fans.

AP - Construction spending edged up slightly in November as a continued steep slump in housing was offset by record spending on government and business projects.

Reuters - The financial meltdown sweeping the United States hits the fashion runway on Friday, when New York Fashion Week takes off, but its impact may be surprising.

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 - 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.

Reuters - An online gauge of U.S. labor demand rose in April, reflecting more job offerings in the accommodation and food services industry from heavy seasonal hiring, a private research group said on Thursday.

AFP - US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson assured investors in the oil-rich Gulf region on Monday that the United States will remain open to sovereign wealth funds.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Tuesday said the United States and Germany agreed that a breakthrough in Doha round of trade talks would help control food inflation around the world.

Reuters - Factories across the developed world and emerging markets are rapidly gearing down production responding to fading demand but are raising prices aggressively, spelling more trouble for the world's central banks.

AP - Three years after being punished by Hurricane Katrina, utilities along the Gulf of Mexico were buffeted by 110 mph plus winds from Gustav with customer outages topping 500,000 and growing.

AP - New applications for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week to a seven-year high due to a weakening economy and the impact of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav, the Labor Department said Thursday.

AP - Construction spending fell by a smaller-than-expected amount in September as a rebound in nonresidential activity helped offset further weakness in home building.

AP - China's manufacturing activity contracted sharply in November as a downturn in the world's fourth-largest economy worsened, raising the threat of politically volatile job losses, according to data reported Monday.