US economy – News Stories About US economy - Page 11

Apr 5, 2013 7:50 AM CDT

Just 88K Jobs Added in March

Unemployment falls to 7.6%, but even that's not good news

(Newser) - Unemployment fell to 7.6% in March, but just 88,000 jobs were added—which the Wall Street Journal calls a "very bad number." Economists weren't expecting much from today's jobs report—according to NPR , they were forecasting "slow and steady" growth—but they had...

Jan. Home Prices
See Biggest Jump
Since 2006

Mar 26, 2013 10:05 AM CDT

Jan. Home Prices See Biggest Jump Since 2006

Case-Shiller index points to 8.1% growth year-over-year

(Newser) - Home prices jumped 8.1% this January compared to a year before, according to the 20-city Case-Shiller index. That beats economists' expectations of a 7.9% increase and marks the biggest year-over-year jump since the summer of 2006, the Wall Street Journal reports. In other words, it's "the...

Unemployment Drops to 7.7%

Mar 8, 2013 7:49 AM CST

Unemployment Drops to 7.7%

236K jobs were added in February, many more than expected

(Newser) - The February jobs report is out, and it's way better than economists expected: The unemployment rate dropped to 7.7% from January's 7.9% ; economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected it to drop to 7.8%. That's the lowest rate since December 2008. And the...

For First Time in 4 Years, Consumers Borrowing More

For First Time in 4 Years, Americans Borrowing More

Mar 1, 2013 10:31 AM CST

For First Time in 4 Years, Americans Borrowing More

Household debts up 0.3%, perhaps showing economy rebounding

(Newser) - American household debt rose in the fourth quarter of 2012, the first rise since 2008 when the recession was in full force, reports the Wall Street Journal . Debts rose 0.3% to $11.34 trillion, including $553 billion in new mortgages, the single biggest source of consumer debt. "There...

Disease You've Never Heard Of Is Draining Economy

Disease You've Likely Never Heard of Costs US Millions

Little-known Chagas disease sucks $900M a year

(Newser) - A little-known parasitic disease from Latin America costs the US economy $900 million a year, the New York Times reports, even though you've probably never heard of Chagas disease . To put the figure in perspective, the much more publicized Lyme disease costs the US about $2.5 billion, a...

China Tops US
in Global Trade

Feb 11, 2013 4:40 PM CST

China Tops US in Global Trade

Chinese end America's post-war trading dominance

(Newser) - Hello, empire? China announced that it has surpassed the US in at least one economic category, becoming the world's top trading nation in goods. China says that last year its combined imports and exports barely edged out America's, $3.87 trillion to $3.82 trillion, the Guardian reports....

Unemployment
Inches Up to 7.9%

Feb 1, 2013 7:45 AM CST

Unemployment Inches Up to 7.9%

157K jobs added

(Newser) - The unemployment rate ticked up from 7.8% to 7.9% in January, according to a jobs report the Wall Street Journal calls "disappointing." The economy added 157,000 jobs, slightly below expectations of 166,000. But here's some news that got a "Whoa, mama!"...

Economy Shrinks for
1st Time Since 2009

Jan 30, 2013 7:52 AM CST

Economy Shrinks for 1st Time Since 2009

Unexpected GDP drop comes as defense spending slumps

(Newser) - As "firsts" go, this is an unfortunate one: The US economy contracted in Q4, marking the first time it has done so since the recession ended. The AP reports that the biggest cut in defense spending in four decades, reduced exports, and sluggish growth in company stockpiles contributed to...

Why You Should Care About the Decline of Labor Unions

OPINION

Jan 29, 2013 1:30 PM CST

Why You Should Care About the Decline of Labor Unions

Unions help the economy as a whole: Eric Liu

(Newser) - Union membership is at a 97-year low in America, with just 11.3% of workers belonging to one. Because you're probably not one of them, you probably don't care about this low point—but you should, writes Eric Liu in Time . Not only do unions lift wages for...

48% Chance You're
Overqualified for Your Job

study says

Jan 28, 2013 8:31 AM CST

48% Chance You're Overqualified for Your Job

Assuming you have your bachelor's degree, says new study

(Newser) - Next month's college loan payment might be even more of a bitter pill to swallow: A new study out today finds that almost half of all working Americans with college degrees are overqualified for their jobs. In 2010, 5% of all janitors, 15% of cab drivers, and 25% of...

Recession's Consequence: Rise of the 'Working Poor'

Jan 15, 2013 10:37 AM CST

Recession's Consequence: Rise of the 'Working Poor'

One-third of working families near poverty

(Newser) - The good news: More people went back to work in the US in 2011. The bad news: Many of them took lower-paying jobs, leading to an increase in the number of working poor families that year, a new analysis shows. In 2011, there were 200,000 more working poor families—...

Quick Debt
Ceiling Fix:
$1T Coin

paul krugman

Jan 7, 2013 12:33 PM CST

Quick Debt Ceiling Fix: $1T Coin

Or, Obama could just raise limit himself

(Newser) - Think the whole debt-ceiling debate is silly? Paul Krugman does, too, and he's been pushing an admittedly "silly" way out of it. A legal loophole intended for making commemorative coins, he writes in the New York Times , could come in handy: Thanks to the rule, the US Treasury...

Unemployment Holds at 7.8%

jobs report

Jan 4, 2013 7:46 AM CST

Unemployment Holds at 7.8%

Average hiring in 2012 unchanged from 2011 numbers

(Newser) - Today's jobs numbers fell just slightly below the expectations of economists: 155,000 jobs were added last month, when 160,000 had been expected, the Wall Street Journal reports. The unemployment rate held steady at 7.8%; last month's initial rate of 7.7% was revised upward. Some...

World Markets Drop
as US Teeters
on Fiscal Cliff

Dec 31, 2012 4:55 AM CST

World Markets Drop as US Teeters on Fiscal Cliff

Investors alarmed by failure to reach deal

(Newser) - Can American lawmakers hammer out a deal in time to avoid the fiscal cliff and toast the New Year? Investors worldwide are betting no. Uncertainty about budget negotiations and the future of the US economy drove down Asian markets on the last day of the year and European markets also...

East Coast Dockworkers' Strike Could Slam Economy

Dec 27, 2012 7:23 AM CST

East Coast Dockworkers' Strike Could Slam Economy

Union threatens action starting Sunday

(Newser) - Some 14,500 dockworkers are ready to walk out on strike Sunday, and it could shutter ports from Boston to Houston and choke the US economy big-time. The longshoremen are "in a crucial place in the flow of goods," says one professor; New York and New Jersey officials...

Not Very Merry:
Holiday Spending
Was Scrooge-Like

Dec 26, 2012 6:45 AM CST

Not Very Merry: Holiday Spending Was Scrooge-Like

Shoppers eying fiscal cliff, storms sat on their wallets

(Newser) - With Christmas officially in the rearview, the first snapshot of holiday spending is rolling in and the picture isn't too pretty: In the two months leading up to Christmas, sales of popular gift items like electronics and apparel grew only .7%—a measly increase well below analysts' expectation of...

AP's Top 10 Stories of 2012

Dec 20, 2012 5:54 PM CST

AP's Top 10 Stories of 2012

Mass shootings finish ahead of election

(Newser) - The AP ended its voting for the top stories of 2012 on Dec. 13, but the following day's rampage in Newtown prompted a rare re-vote among the nation's editors. As a result, "mass shootings" moved from No. 6 to No. 1 to edge out the election. The...

Sales of Pricey Homes Surge

Dec 20, 2012 2:14 PM CST

Sales of Pricey Homes Surge

And median home price is going up

(Newser) - Another sign of economic recovery? Sales of higher-end homes—those priced above $750,000—were up 50% in November from a year prior, CNBC reports. Meanwhile, sales of the lowest-end homes fell 4%. The two factors pushed the median home price across the nation to $180,600, up about 10%...

Unemployment Falls to 7.7%

Dec 7, 2012 7:49 AM CST

Unemployment Falls to 7.7%

But 'WSJ' calls report the least important in last 60 months

(Newser) - The unemployment rate fell from 7.9% to 7.7% in November, and the Wall Street Journal gives you permission to care a little less than usual. It calls today's report "the least important look at the labor market in about five years." That's because 1)...

This Is 1 of Only 3
Major US Cities
in Recovery

Economic Study

Nov 30, 2012 11:40 AM CST

This Is 1 of Only 3 Major US Cities in Recovery

Pittsburgh, Dallas, Knoxville the only ones currently in economic recovery

(Newser) - Everybody knows the US economy has been struggling since the recession ended in 2009. But just how bad are things? Of the United States' 76 major metropolitan areas, just three are in economic recovery now, according to a new study by the Brookings Institution, reports Reuters . That may seem terrible,...