Businesses hiring at fastest pace since 2006
WASHINGTON - American companies are on a hiring spree.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Bernanke pledges low rates will remain
WASHINGTON - The script was repetitive. The lines were delivered without emotion. There wasn't even a twist.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Jobless falls to 2-year low
WASHINGTON - The unemployment rate fell to a two-year low of 8.8 percent in March, capping the strongest two months of hiring since before the recession began.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Burst of hiring could mark turning point for jobs
WASHINGTON - Companies added more workers in February than in any month in almost a year - a turning point for the economy that finally pushed the unemployment rate below 9 percent. Economists say the stronger hiring should endure all year.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Bernanke: GOP spending cuts would slow growth
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Wednesday a House Republicans plan to cut $61 billion in federal spending this year would reduce economic growth and cause job losses.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Government budget cuts pose threat to recovery
WASHINGTON - Deep spending cuts by state and local governments pose a growing threat to an economy that is already grappling with high unemployment, depressed home prices and the surging cost of oil.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Bernanke urges nations to help ease trade gaps
PARIS - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday urged countries with large trade surpluses like China to let their currencies rise in value to help prevent another global financial crisis.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
More spending helps economy gain steam
WASHINGTON - The economic recovery is now consistently picking up speed, and American consumers are the ones pushing the gas pedal. They increased their spending late last year at the fastest pace since 2006.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 9 MONTHS AGO
Industrial production rises by most in 5 months
WASHINGTON - Industrial production rose in December by the largest amount in five months, providing the economy with solid momentum heading into the new year.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Fed survey: U.S. economy ends 2010 on strong note
WASHINGTON - The U.S. economy ended last year on an encouraging note, with all parts of the country showing improvements. Factories produced more, shoppers spent more and companies hired more - pointing to a stronger economy in 2011.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 10 MONTHS AGO
Strong week for economy raises optimism for 2011
WASHINGTON - Buoyed by a string of hopeful government reports on layoffs, factory production and consumer spending, economists are predicting that hiring and even housing will pick up in 2011 and make it a better year after all.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
A setback for the economy
WASHINGTON - The nation added only a trickle of jobs in November, far fewer than experts had expected and a reminder that the economy is still recovering only fitfully.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Consumers spend and earn more
WASHINGTON - Americans earned more and spent more last month, and the number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level in more than two years. At the same time, demand for long-lasting manufactured goods and new homes fell off.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Bernanke on perilous ground
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is taking some highly unusual steps to counter widespread opposition to his $600 billion plan to jump-start the economy. He's pressing China to let its currency rise and pushing Congress to pass more stimulus aid.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 13 YEARS, 11 MONTHS AGO
Hiring spurt in October helps economy a bit
WASHINGTON - The jobs crisis eased a bit in October as companies stepped up hiring, suggesting further gains ahead.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO
Creeping forward
WASHINGTON - The new Congress that begins in January will confront an economy and a job market that will improve only slightly next year, according to an Associated Press survey of leading economists that found them gloomier than they were three months ago.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO
Spending a little more, but not enough
WASHINGTON - The last read on the economy before the midterm elections found Americans are spending a little more but not nearly enough to bring down high unemployment - one final bit of bad news for Democrats.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO
Bernanke: A case for further action
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is balancing a short-term fix for the economy with a long-term gamble: His plan to buy Treasury bonds to fight high unemployment and super-low inflation now could ignite inflation later.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS AGO
Jobs crisis extends to unemployed, lawmakers
WASHINGTON - There's no relief from the jobs crisis - for everyday Americans or lawmakers facing the midterm elections.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
It's official: Recession is over
WASHINGTON - It turns out the recession ended more than a year ago.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 1 MONTH AGO
Bernanke reiterates Fed forecast of 2011 growth
JACKSON, Wyo. - Ben Bernanke is struggling to build consensus among Federal Reserve officials about what steps are needed - if any - to give the economy a boost.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 2 MONTHS AGO
In a sluggish economic summer, no easy fix ahead
WASHINGTON - The Federal Reserve has little power left to lift the economy out of its rut. Congress, with an election looming, has no appetite for more stimulus. Shoppers are reluctant to spend, and businesses are slow to hire.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Bleak outlook for economy as growth slows
WASHINGTON - The economy is still growing, just not by much. And until that changes, don't look for the jobs to come back.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 3 MONTHS AGO
Economic upswing stifled by lack of hiring
WASHINGTON - A second straight month of lackluster hiring by American businesses is sapping strength from the economic rebound.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Leaders differ on how to nurture a global recovery
HUNTSVILLE, Ontario - Fresh from a congressional win on a financial overhaul, President Barack Obama pressed world leaders on Friday to join him in backing stronger rules against banking abuses. He made little headway in his call for more stimulus to keep the world economy growing.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 4 MONTHS AGO
Growing ranks of long-term jobless face tough odds
WASHINGTON - If you lose your job these days, it's worth scrambling to find a new one - fast.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Private employers hold back on hiring in May
WASHINGTON - A swell in temporary government hiring for the census drove almost all the job market's gains last month - a huge disappointment to Wall Street and a sign that private employers aren't yet confident enough in the recovery to start adding workers with gusto.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Fed chief sees delicate dance ahead
WASHINGTON - The delicate task ahead for the Federal Reserve and other central banks is deciding when to start boosting interest rates and reeling in all the stimulus pumped out during the global financial crisis, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Sunday.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
Consumer inflation vanishes, a boon for borrowers
WASHINGTON - Inflation has essentially disappeared, and that gives the Federal Reserve more room to keep interest rates at record lows.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 5 MONTHS AGO
A solid recovery but concerns remain
WASHINGTON - The economy is being boosted by higher retail sales, stronger factory output and a rise in companies' stockpiles.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Not out of the woods just yet
WASHINGTON - The economy got what it needed in April: A burst of hiring that added a net 290,000 jobs, the biggest monthly total in four years. It showed employers are gaining confidence as the recovery takes deeper root.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Consumer spending rises to 3-year high
WASHINGTON - The numbers would be excellent in normal times, but for a country recovering from deep recession, they're not enough.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Global financial leaders cheered by recovery signs
WASHINGTON - Despite a deepening Greek debt crisis, global financial leaders declared Friday that the world's economy is recovering faster than expected from the worst recession in decades.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 6 MONTHS AGO
Economy adds jobs at fastest pace in 3 years
WASHINGTON - The nation added jobs at the fastest pace in three years last month as factories, stores, hospitals and the census all brought workers on board - the surest sign yet that the worst employment market in a generation has finally snapped back.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Year-end growth spurt not likely to be repeated
WASHINGTON - The burst of energy the economy showed at the end of last year isn't likely to be repeated anytime soon.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 7 MONTHS AGO
Bernanke: Let's keep all banking duties
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke urged Congress Wednesday to let the Fed keep all of its banking oversight, arguing that information gleaned from that process helps the central bank guide the economy.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Yellen at Fed would likely favor low-rate policy
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's likely choice of Janet Yellen to become vice chairman of the Federal Reserve would favor a policy that stresses low interest rates to ease unemployment over higher rates to curb inflation.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Jobless rate steady at 9.7 percent
WASHINGTON - At last, the unemployment crisis seems to be easing. That's the good news.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
Brisk 5.9 percent growth rate will likely fade
WASHINGTON - The economy rocketed ahead at a 5.9 percent pace in the final quarter of 2009, stronger than initially estimated. But the growth spurt isn't expected to carry over into this year.
COEUR D'ALENE PRESS | UPDATED 14 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AGO
