2010 | featured news

Retail sales are expected to show an increase in August despite weakness in auto sales. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect retail sales will increase 0.3 percent in August following a 0.4 percent rise in July.

Private employers added 67,000 jobs, more than forecast, but governments shed jobs in August, the Labor Department reported.

Retailers are reporting surprisingly solid gains for August even as unusually hot weather and job worries kept a lid on back-to-school buying.

Shoppers spent slightly more last month than they had the year before, but sales were far short of 2008 levels, heralding what could be a disappointing holiday shopping season.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index shows a modest 1% gain over May figures, with prices in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco increasing.

It's one heck of a head start heading into November. The margin is by far the largest ever earned by the GOP since the polling firm began tracking the generic ballot question — asking whether voters prefer a Democrat or Republican congressional candidate — in 1942.

Consumer spending rose at the strongest pace in four months in July, supported by a small gain in incomes, offering hope that consumers will be able to keep contributing to a modest recovery.

Blockbuster Inc. will file bankruptcy next month, people familiar with the matter have told the Los Angeles Times.

Buying activity in the residential real estate market slowed dramatically in July, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association of Realtors. The dramatic plunge is yet another sign the U.S. economy may be heading toward a slowdown or double-dip recession.

The United States racked up a $165.04 billion budget deficit during July, 8.7 percent below the year-ago gap as spending on economic stimulus subsided from peak levels, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.