U.S. consumer prices drop 0.2 pct on cheaper gas

WASHINGTON | U.S. consumer prices declined last month as the cost of gas fell sharply and food prices were unchanged. The tame reading is the latest evidence that the sluggish economy is keeping inflation in check.

US gains 157,000 jobs; jobless rate rises to 7.9 %.

WASHINGTON | The U.S. job market is proving sturdier than expected at a time when the economy is under pressure from Washington gridlock and the threat of government spending cuts.

Political brinksmanship still threatens U.S. economy

WASHINGTON | Even after U.S. lawmakers avoided the so-called fiscal cliff, higher taxes and brinksmanship in Washington are likely to continue damaging the fragile economy well into 2013.

US home prices rise in October from previous year

WASHINGTON | U.S. home prices rose in most major cities in October compared with a year ago, pushed up by rising sales and a decline in the supply of available homes. Higher prices show the housing market is improving even as it moves into the more dormant fall and winter sales period.

The economy Obama faces: slow but gaining steadily

WASHINGTON | Some reward.

U.S. adds 171,000 jobs; unemployment inches up to 7.9 percent

WASHINGTON | The United States added a solid 171,000 jobs in October, and more than a half-million Americans joined the workforce, the latest signs that the uneven economic recovery is gaining strength once again.

Consumers give U.S. economy a lift before election

WASHINGTON | A flurry of reports Thursday showed that U.S. consumers are growing more confident and spending more, boosting a still-weak economy just five days before the presidential election.

U.S. job openings dipped in August from July

WASHINGTON | U.S. employers advertised slightly fewer jobs in August than July, while they filled the most positions in three months, offering a mixed signal on the job market.

Few jobs added in August, many of them low paying

WASHINGTON | Numerous industries added jobs last month. But they didn't add many. And the jobs they filled weren't necessarily well-paying ones.

Fewer young people looking for work

WASHINGTON | One reason the proportion of adults in the work force has dropped is that many younger adults have given up looking for a job.

US economy adds 96,000 jobs, jobless rate falls to 8.1%

WASHINGTON | U.S. employers added 96,000 jobs last month, a weak figure that could slow the momentum President Barack Obama hoped to gain from his speech Thursday night to the Democratic National Convention.

How weak is US job market? Depends on your numbers

WASHINGTON | Is the U.S. job market dismal as Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says?

Survey: US manufacturing shrinks for third month

WASHINGTON | U.S. factory activity shrank for the third straight month in August as new orders, production and employment all fell. The report adds to other signs that manufacturing is struggling around the world.

Drop in key US durable goods orders shows weakness

WASHINGTON | Signs that U.S. manufacturing is faltering emerged from a report Friday that orders for long-lasting factory goods, excluding the volatile transportation category, fell in July for the fourth time in five months.

Most laid-off workers take pay cuts in new jobs

WASHINGTON | The U.S. economic recovery hasn't felt much like one even for people who managed to find new jobs after being laid off. Most of them have had to settle for less pay.

U.S. economy adds 80,000 jobs in another weak month

WASHINGTON | The American job machine has jammed. Again.

Low prices, weak hiring raise odds of Fed action next week

WASHINGTON | The U.S. job market is flagging, and consumer prices are barely rising. The picture sketched by data released Thursday has made some economists predict the Federal Reserve will announce some new step next week to boost the economy.

Strong 3 months of hiring as U.S. adds 227,000 jobs

It's the latest display of the breadth and strength of the economic recovery. The country has put together the most impressive three months of job growth since before the Great Recession.

US job market ends year in better shape

The long-suffering job market is ending the year better off than it began. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits each week has dropped by 10 percent since January.

U.S. spending up as savings interest hovers near zero

WASHINGTON | Americans are making a little more money and spending a lot more.

Economy gaining, but so is unemployment

The economy is showing signs of modest improvement - not enough to reduce high unemployment but enough to ease fears another recession might be near.

Economy gaining but not enough to cut unemployment

WASHINGTON | The economy is showing signs of modest improvement — not enough to reduce high unemployment but enough to ease fears another recession might be near.

Dismal report shows no net job increase in August

Employers stopped adding jobs in August, an alarming setback for an economy at risk of another recession. The government also reported that the unemployment rate remained at 9.1 percent. It was the weakest jobs report since September 2010.

Higher durable-goods orders ease economic worries

WASHINGTON | A surge in demand for autos and aircraft drove orders for long-lasting manufactured goods higher in July, easing fears the economy might be on the verge of another recession.

More people sought unemployment benefits last week

WASHINGTON | More people applied for unemployment benefits last week, evidence that layoffs are rising and the job market is weak.

Unemployed find old jobs now require more skills

WASHINGTON | The jobs crisis has brought an unwelcome discovery for many unemployed Americans: Job openings in their old fields exist. Yet they no longer qualify for them.

Economic growth slows to 1.6 pct. in the spring

WASHINGTON | The economy grew at a much slower pace this spring than previously estimated, mostly due to the largest surge in imports in 26 years and a slowdown in companies' restocking of goods,

Third month of weak hiring signals long slog ahead

WASHINGTON | The nation isn't creating nearly enough jobs to reduce persistently high unemployment.

Payrolls drop by 125K, jobless rate falls

WASHINGTON (AP) — A wave of census layoffs cut the nation's payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs. The unemployment rate dipped to 9.5 percent, its lowest level in almost a year.

Payrolls drop by 125K, jobless rate falls

WASHINGTON | A wave of census layoffs cut the nation's payrolls in June for the first time in six months, while private employers added a modest number of jobs. The unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, its lowest level in almost a year.

Millions of jobs that were cut won't likely return

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer construction workers will be needed. Don't expect as many interior designers or advertising copywriters, either. Retailers will get by with leaner staffs.

New jobless claims drop for third straight week

WASHINGTON | First-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week for the third straight time, a sign the job market is slowly recovering.

Better days here? Economic rebound gains strength

WASHINGTON | Shoppers and businesses are feeling better about the recovery.

Employers added most jobs in 3 years in March

WASHINGTON | The nation's economy posted its largest job gain in three years in March, while the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent for the third straight month.

March job increase largest in 3 years

WASHINGTON | The U.S. economy posted its largest job gain in three years in March, while the unemployment rate remained at 9.7 percent for the third straight month.

Economic mixed bag: No inflation but little hiring

WASHINGTON | The picture of an economy growing modestly without producing inflation yet struggling to create jobs emerged from government reports Thursday.

Unemployment rate unchanged as 36K jobs lost

WASHINGTON | The unemployment rate held at 9.7 percent in February as employers shed 36,000 jobs, fewer than expected. The figures suggested the job market is slowly healing but that significant hiring has yet to occur.

Don't blame snow: Feb. jobs data likely to be weak

WASHINGTON | The February jobs report to be released Friday is likely to be bleak.

Rising jobless claims reflect weakening recovery

WASHINGTON | Layoffs are no longer dropping as they were in the final months of last year, reinforcing fears that the jobs crisis will weigh down consumer spending and the economic rebound.

January unemployment rate drops to 9.7 percent

WASHINGTON | The outlook for jobs became a bit less bleak with January's unexpected decline in the unemployment rate, which fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent.

January unemployment rate drops to 9.7 percent

WASHINGTON | The outlook for jobs became a bit less bleak with January's unexpected decline in the unemployment rate, which fell to 9.7 percent from 10 percent as more people said they had jobs.

Economy grows at 5.7 percent pace, fastest since 2003

WASHINGTON | The economy's faster-than-expected growth at the end of last year, fueled by companies boosting output to keep stockpiles up, is likely to weaken as consumers keep a lid on spending.

Retail sales fall unexpectedly; jobless claims up

WASHINGTON | Retail sales unexpectedly fell in December, leaving 2009 with the biggest yearly drop on record and highlighting the formidable hurdles facing the economy as it struggles to recover from the deepest recession in seven decades.

Economy loses 85K jobs as employers remain wary

WASHINGTON | Lack of confidence in the economic recovery led employers to shed a more-than-expected 85,000 net jobs in December even as the unemployment rate held at 10 percent. The rate would have been higher if more people had been looking for work instead of leaving the labor force becaus…

Economy loses 85,000 jobs, unemployment rate steady

WASHINGTON | Lack of confidence in the economic recovery led employers to shed a more-than-expected 85,000 jobs in December even as the unemployment rate held at 10 percent. The rate would have been higher if more people had been looking for work instead of leaving the labor force because th…

Manufacturing grew faster than expected in December

WASHINGTON | Manufacturing activity grew last month at the fastest pace in more than three years, a sign that the pace of the economic recovery is picking up, a private trade group said Monday.

Unexpected drop in jobless rate sparks optimism

WASHINGTON | A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month cheered investors Friday and raised hopes for a sustained economic recovery.

November jobless rate falls to 10 percent

WASHINGTON | The unemployment rate unexpectedly fell to 10 percent in November as employers cut the smallest number of jobs since the recession began. The better-than-expected job figures are a rare note of encouraging news for the labor market.