tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76253064586450289052009-11-13T06:11:31.824-08:00RKLnoreply@blogger.comBlogger790125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-68286697681119659082009-11-13T06:11:00.002-08:002009-11-13T06:11:31.960-08:00

The Energy Department on Friday is expected to report a build of 14 billion to 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage inventories for the week ended Nov. 6, according to a survey of analysts by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. The Energy Information Administration — the statistical agency of the Department of Energy — releases its weekly report at 10:30 a.m. EST. A

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-24347534748895347842009-11-13T06:11:00.000-08:002009-11-13T06:11:03.628-08:00

Germany is well into recovery, official data showed Friday shortly before the government's own advisers slammed "deceptive" plans to reduce ballooning debt in Europe's biggest economy. Data from the national statistics office "indicate that the German economy managed a remarkable comeback" in the second and third quarters of 2009 from its worst post-war recession, UniCredit economist Andreas

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-48810052324138620062009-11-12T09:56:00.001-08:002009-11-12T09:56:57.667-08:00

Banks will have to secure their customers' consent before charging large overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions, according to a new rule announced Thursday by the Federal Reserve. The rule responds to complaints from consumer groups, members of Congress and other regulators that the overdraft fees are unfair because many people assume they can't spend more on a debit card than is

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-20486628415154165692009-11-12T09:23:00.000-08:002009-11-12T09:23:06.063-08:00

New claims for unemployment insurance fell more than expected last week, evidence the job market is slowly healing as the economy recovers. Still, many private economists and Federal Reserve officials worry the nation could be in for a "jobless recovery" as the unemployment rate rises despite some overall economic growth. The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims for jobless

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-65016035526445876742009-11-10T09:28:00.000-08:002009-11-10T09:28:19.163-08:00

Investors cooled their buying of stocks and commodities, pausing from a surge that's carried major stock indexes to their highest levels in more than a year. Stocks mostly fell Tuesday, a day after the Dow Jones industrials shot up 200 points for the second time in three days. Following a recent pattern, the stock market on Monday took its cue from the dollar, driving higher as the dollar

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-73947818129763777752009-11-10T09:27:00.000-08:002009-11-10T09:27:08.053-08:00

A real estate group says home prices fell in eight out of every 10 U.S. cities in the third quarter of this year as heavily discounted distressed sales made up 30 percent of all deals. But home sales continued their climb, with quarterly sales outpacing the second quarter and the previous year's figures, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. The median sales prices of existing

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-7790231261003813692009-11-10T09:25:00.000-08:002009-11-10T09:25:07.212-08:00

After a slow start, the Obama administration's mortgage relief program has reached one in five eligible homeowners, a government report says. As of the end of October, more than 650,000 borrowers, or 20 percent of those eligible, have signed up for trials lasting up to five months, the Treasury Department said Tuesday. The modifications reduce monthly payments to more affordable levels.

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-8966734236054419882009-11-09T13:59:00.000-08:002009-11-09T13:59:14.491-08:00

Robotic toy hamsters, the latest Barbie dolls and stylish boots are disappearing from store shelves as holiday shoppers start to get serious. But don't confuse this with the days of Tickle Me Elmo. Instead of a throwback to great buying binges of the past, the empty shelves are just another sign of bad times. The shortages come from stores that are terrified of ordering too much and are

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-83664709501949901202009-11-09T07:34:00.001-08:002009-11-09T07:34:52.307-08:00

Stocks are rising on Wall Street Monday after a weekend meeting of world financial leaders raised hopes for the economy. U.S. stocks are following overseas markets, which are rising after officials from the Group of 20 countries agreed to keep economic stimulus measures in place. Investors are awaiting retailers' earnings reports to see how much consumers are spending as the holidays approach

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-87467884888723904692009-11-07T05:32:00.000-08:002009-11-07T05:32:30.874-08:00

For months he had warned it was coming but that didn't ease the political shockwaves for President Barack Obama when unemployment topped 10 percent. A year after his election Obama finds it increasingly difficult to blame the sour economy on George W. Bush or offer reassurances that jobless Americans will soon find work. Never mind that the economy itself grew in the last quarter, that the

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-110158475769001482009-11-06T07:34:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:34:37.205-08:00

Stocks rose early Friday as investors shrugged off news that more jobs were lost in October than expected, pushing the unemployment rate above 10 percent for the first time since 1983. The rise in joblessness reassured some investors that the Federal Reserve will have to hold interest rates lower for some time. That weakened demand for the dollar, which gave a boost to stocks. Safe-haven

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-73206839953615566972009-11-06T07:32:00.000-08:002009-11-06T07:32:34.219-08:00

The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher. Nearly 16 million people can't find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. Many economists worry that persistently high unemployment could undermine the recovery by restraining consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy.

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-29072330535562262822009-11-05T14:52:00.000-08:002009-11-05T14:52:09.807-08:00

Banks borrowed slightly more from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week, while reducing their use of other credit programs designed to ease the financial crisis. The Fed said commercial banks averaged $22.6 billion in daily borrowing over the week that ended Wednesday. That's up $32 million from the week ended Oct. 28, but is far less than the $110 billion they

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-14326312523723567732009-11-05T14:51:00.000-08:002009-11-05T14:51:36.452-08:00

After years of procrastination, Sweden and Finland agreed on Thursday to allow the Russian-led Nord Stream pipeline to pass through their waters in the Baltic Sea, a crucial step for the project destined to supply Europe with Russian gas. The breakthrough approvals come as new tensions have been playing out between Moscow and Ukraine, raising fears for a new row between the countries that

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-76860206027138538952009-11-05T14:49:00.000-08:002009-11-05T14:49:48.782-08:00

A drop in unemployment claims and an upbeat forecast from Cisco Systems Inc. gave investors a jolt of confidence a day before a key government report on jobs. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 200 points Thursday to its first close above 10,000 in two weeks, while the Nasdaq composite index led major indexes with a gain of 2.4 percent after Cisco, the maker of computer-networking gear,

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-44234299742776983192009-11-05T05:44:00.000-08:002009-11-05T05:44:16.700-08:00

Billed as a way for the government to put more fuel-efficient vehicles on highways, the popular $3 billion Cash for Clunkers program mostly involved swaps of old Ford or Chevrolet pickups for new ones that got only marginally better gas mileage, according to an analysis of new federal data by The Associated Press. The single most common swap — which occurred more than 8,200 times — involved

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-44437547321278151992009-11-05T05:41:00.001-08:002009-11-05T05:41:51.141-08:00

Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper. First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package enacted earlier this year. But with the program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the Senate voted Wednesday to extend and expand the tax credit to include many buyers who

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-53788634456727308872009-11-04T05:11:00.002-08:002009-11-04T05:11:32.991-08:00

Pulte Homes Inc. lost $361.4 million in the third quarter, but with the acquisition of Centex Corp., the homebuilder increased sales by more than a third. Pulte completed its purchase of Centex in August, making the combined company the nation's largest builder. The deal gave Pulte a stronger foothold in the first-time homebuyer market, which has seen a big boost in sales because of a temporary

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-3984892324449089672009-11-04T05:11:00.000-08:002009-11-04T05:11:08.161-08:00

Media conglomerate Time Warner Inc. reported a 38 percent drop in third-quarter profit, hurt by declines at its AOL and publishing segments. But the results beat expectations and the company is boosting its full-year earnings forecast. The media company, based in New York, said it is still on track to spin off its struggling AOL unit. Its shares rose 2.7 percent to $31 in premarkt trading.

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-79041301926096235532009-11-04T05:09:00.001-08:002009-11-04T05:09:56.041-08:00

Marks and Spencer will begin selling grocery and household products featuring top brand names across all of its stores in Britain alongside its own-labelled goods, the retailer said Wednesday. Alongside news of flat first-half profits, Marks said it would break with tradition and start selling products such as Coca-Cola fizzy drinks, Kelloggs cereals and Persil washing powder in a bid to

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-1286134381881718712009-11-03T07:46:00.001-08:002009-11-03T07:46:38.720-08:00

Viacom Inc. posted a 15 percent jump in third-quarter profit Tuesday as a stronger film slate from its Paramount Pictures movie studio helped offset continuing declines in advertising and DVD sales. Its shares rose more than 6 percent in premarket trading. The media conglomerate controlled by billionaire Sumner Redstone owns a wide range of media properties including the MTV and BET cable

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-43629971899545644762009-11-03T07:44:00.001-08:002009-11-03T07:44:58.218-08:00

Investors worried about the economic recovery drew only modest comfort from billionaire investor Warren Buffett's decision to buy one of the nation's largest railroads. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said Tuesday it is paying $100 a share for Burlington Northern Santa Fe in a deal valuing the railroad at $34 billion. Investors are on edge about unemployment and the stability of major financial

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-15186929832791046922009-11-02T14:37:00.000-08:002009-11-02T14:37:58.704-08:00

As the prospect of double-digit unemployment looms, President Barack Obama on Monday sought to set expectations for the nation, saying job losses will likely roll on "for weeks and months to come" because hiring always lags behind in an economic rebound. "We just are not where we need to be yet," Obama said as he met with a panel of economic advisers. "We've got a long way to go."

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-82364653588993886002009-11-02T14:36:00.001-08:002009-11-02T14:36:32.264-08:00

The dollar edged down against the euro and other currencies Monday as stronger-than-expected reports on manufacturing and housing eased concerns about the global economy's recovery, while markets look ahead to this week's slew of central bank meetings. The manufacturing industry grew at the fastest pace in October since April 2006, according to the Institute for Supply Management. The ISM

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7625306458645028905.post-36739306987968588262009-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:002009-11-02T09:40:28.700-08:00

Ford, the only Detroit automaker to dodge direct government aid and bankruptcy court, surprised investors with net income of nearly $1 billion in the third quarter and forecast a "solidly profitable" 2011. The automaker said Monday earnings were fueled by U.S. market share gains, cost cuts and the Cash for Clunkers program, which drew flocks of buyers to showrooms this summer. Ford's shares

RKLnoreply@blogger.com0