Markets

THE RESET: Gov't slowing economic and job growth
President Barack Obama declared last June that "the private sector is doing fine." And President Ronald Reagan liked to tell audiences, "Government ...
Signs of firm US recovery trigger market gains
Evidence that the U.S. economic recovery is firmly on track drove markets higher on Friday, adding to the cheer from good economic indicators out of ...
HK clamps down on cross-border baby formula trade
Hong Kong announced measures Friday to curb the amount of baby formula that mainland Chinese visitors are buying as anger grows at shortages in the ...
Puerto Rico teeters on fiscal edge over pensions
Office clerk Lillian Marti hopes to retire one day with a decent pension. Now, like many other employees of Puerto Rico's government, she's beginning ...
Nigeria lawmaker charged over alleged bribery
A Nigerian lawmaker who led a probe into the nation's fuel subsidy program that saw billions of dollars lost through fraud has been charged with ...
Dutch state nationalizes SNS Reaal bank
The Netherlands nationalized its fourth-largest bank on Friday, injecting €2.2 billion ($3 billion) to recapitalize SNS Reaal NV and head off any ...
Solid Jan. hiring would boost hopes for US economy
The January employment report is expected to show Friday that job growth remained steady last month even though Americans began receiving smaller ...
MetLife to spend $2 billion on pension business
MetLife Inc. plans to pay about $2 billion to buy the largest private pension fund administrator in Chile, as the insurer and annuity provider seeks ...
Arizona lawmakers struggle to stay on priorities
One Republican proposal would ban state enforcement of federal gun laws. Another would require that hospitals check the citizenship of anyone treated ...
Report: Small business hiring edged up in January
Small businesses nudged up their hiring during January for a second straight month, according to a survey released Thursday. The survey by the ...
Latvia takes big step to joining euro
Unemployment, recession, debt, crisis and bailouts: These have been the sort of words that have been associated with the euro currency over the past ...
Oil falls on US unemployment claims data
The price of oil fell Thursday as U.S. unemployment claims rose more than expected. Benchmark oil for March delivery fell 45 cents to close at $97.
Weekly US jobless aid applications rise to 368K
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose sharply last week but remained at a level consistent with moderate hiring. Weekly applications ...
Economic jitters compete with Obama agenda
Just as President Barack Obama is pushing new initiatives on gun control and immigration, the gloomy old problem of a sluggish economy is elbowing its ...
Stocks flat on new jobs and consumer data
Stocks are flat after the government released new data on consumer spending and unemployment and some earnings reports disappointed investors. The Dow ...
New England fishermen say new rules mean ruin
Minutes after New England fishery managers took a vote that cast doubt on the historic industry's future, the prospects most clear to Gloucester ...
Asia stocks fall after US shows 4Q contraction
An unexpected contraction in the U.S. economy at the end of 2012 sent Asian stock markets into retreat Thursday. The U.S. economy shrank in the fourth ...
GOP lawmakers see automatic cuts as leverage
There's a growing sense of resignation that the country's political leaders will be unable or unwilling to find a way around looming automatic ...
US economy shifted into reverse in late 2012
The U.S. economy shrank unexpectedly late last year, a reminder of the biggest threat it faces in 2013: sharp government spending cuts and prolonged ...
Greece eyes accounts of suspected tax evaders
The Greek government wants to give tax authorities the power to empty the bank accounts of accused tax evaders, even if they have not been convicted.
Zimbabwe claims its accounts are bare
Zimbabwe's finance ministry said it has just $217 left in its accounts after paying the nation's civil servants and government employees earlier this ...
THE RESET: Familiar faces on Obama's 2nd-term team
President Barack Obama is much of the way through completing his second-term Cabinet and top White House staff. For many of those chosen so far, it's ...
Fed's new voting lineup won't likely alter policy
The cast of voting members on the Federal Reserve's policy committee is changing this year. Their policies probably won't be. Chairman Ben Bernanke ...
Slow US economic growth in Q4 may hide strength
Most economists agree that Wednesday's snapshot of U.S. economic growth is going to look dismal. The consensus forecast from Factset is economic ...