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Economic policy

Spain, Greece launch austerity plans to secure aid
Spain and Greece outlined plans Thursday to reduce government spending and raise taxes to convince international lenders and financial markets they ...
EU wants $12B a year from US over Boeing aid
The European Union said Thursday it is asking the World Trade Organization to impose up to $12 billion per year in sanctions on the U.S. as part of ...
What do Ohio's white working-class voters want?
To look at Ohio is to glimpse America in a nutshell — a state full of places where laborers, truck drivers, cooks, store clerks and business owners ...
Czech central bank cuts interest rate to 0.25 pct
The Czech Republic's central bank has cut its key interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 0.25 percent — a record low since the country was ...
Romney fundraiser planned Thursday in Hong Kong
Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney plan a campaign fundraiser for him Thursday in Hong Kong, where U.S. business interests ...
US stocks fall on Europe unrest, weaker home sales
A mixed report about the housing market and unrest in Europe on Wednesday extended the longest losing streak for the Standard & Poor's 500 index since ...
Gas prices unlikely to fall as fast as oil
Not so fast. That's the message for drivers hoping a recent drop in oil prices will soon show up at the gas station. Oil has dropped $9 per barrel, ...
Greek riots, Spanish marches shatter market calm
Europe's fragile financial calm was shattered Wednesday as investors worried that violent anti-austerity protests in Greece and Spain's debt troubles ...
Politician kept budget vow, now tries to keep job
Shortly after newly elected Rep. Dan Benishek arrived in Washington, staffers raised a banner that proclaimed to visitors in his Capitol Hill suite: ...
Zions Bancorp repays remaining $700M on bailout
The Treasury Department says regional bank company Zions Bancorp has repaid the $700 million it still owed for the federal bailout it received in the ...
Pro-Romney group airs new ad in Mich., Wis.
An independent group that supports Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has a new ad out that suggests President Barack Obama's economic ...
ECB's Draghi defends bond-buying plans to Germans
The head of the European Central Bank sought Tuesday to win a skeptical German audience over to his plans to buy potentially unlimited amounts of ...
WHY IT MATTERS: Debt
The issue: A sea of red ink is confronting the nation and presidents to come. The budget deficit — the shortfall created when the government spends ...
Decades of federal dollars helped fuel gas boom
It sounds like a free-market success story: a natural gas boom created by drilling company innovation, delivering a vast new source of cheap energy ...
Bernanke wants you to buy stocks, but risk is high
Ben Bernanke hopes his latest plan to stimulate the economy will get you to buy stocks and other risky assets. Maybe you should. People who did that ...
Congress seeks clarity from election for agenda
A frustrated Congress quit Washington on Saturday with at least one hope — that the stark choice in the election ahead will give lawmakers clarity ...
Unproductive Congress skips town until November
The most partisan, least productive Congress in memory has skipped out of Washington so lawmakers can make their case for voters to re-elect them.
Congress exits Washington to hit campaign trail
The most partisan, least productive Congress in memory has skipped out of Washington for the campaign trail. The Senate shuttered the Capitol soon ...
Stocks slip in late trading, after long Fed rally
The market took a recess Friday from the Fed rally. Stocks have been pushing higher for weeks, not because investors think the economy is healed but ...
No ethics charge for Democratic Calif. Rep. Waters
California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters won't be charged with ethics violations following allegations she steered a $12 million federal bailout to ...
India government regains its muscle with reforms
Manmohan Singh's coalition has splintered and his government is fighting for survival. But the Indian prime minister, who has been criticized for ...
German finance min: no need for more Spain aid
Germany's finance minister argued Friday that Spain doesn't need to seek a new aid program, and dismissed suggestions that money left over from a ...
Markets rise on Spain bailout hopes
Spanish stocks led a recovery in global markets Friday amid speculation the country was preparing to tap a new European aid program, a day after ...
WTO cuts outlook for global trade in 2012 and 2013
The World Trade Organization is cutting its estimate for growth in global trade for this year and next. The WTO lowered the 2012 forecast to 2.
Spain urged to seek aid despite strong bond sale
Spain raised €4.8 billion ($6.2 billion) in a debt auction Thursday that saw strong demand and a substantial drop in its borrowing costs. But analysts ...