Economy, 2012 | featured news

New orders for a range of long-lasting manufactured goods fell in June and a gauge of planned business spending plans dropped, pointing to a slowdown in factory activity. The Commerce Department said on Thursday durable goods orders excluding transportation dropped 1.1 percent, the biggest decline since January, after rising 0.8 percent in May. Economists had forecast this category being flat last month.

New orders for U.S. factory goods rose more than expected in May, a hopeful sign for U.S. manufacturers who have appeared more vulnerable to Europe's festering debt crisis.

Unemployment in the 17-country euro currency bloc hit another record in May as the crippling financial crisis pushed the continent toward the brink of recession, official figures showed Monday.

Consumer sentiment dropped to a six-month low in June as Americans' view of the economy soured, a survey released on Friday showed.

Employers hired far fewer workers in March than in previous months, keeping the door open for the Federal Reserve to provide more monetary support for a still sluggish economy.

The pace of growth in the manufacturing sector picked up a tad in March, while new orders dipped modestly, according to an industry report released on Mon day.

In yet another sign of a strengthening recovery, the United States added 227,000 net jobs in February, the third consecutive month of gains over 200,000. The unemployment rate was unchanged from 8.3 percent in January, the Labor Department reported Friday, as nearly a half million people who had been staying on the sidelines rejoined the search for work. The strong job growth numbers could bolster President Obama’s effort to make the case to voters that his economic policies are working.

The pace of job creation by private employers accelerated more than expected in February, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Consumer sentiment improved a tad in February to rack up a year high as Americans became more confident about the economy's resilience, a survey released on Friday showed.

Consumer spending was flat in December as households took advantage of the largest rise in income in nine months to boost their savings, setting the tone for a slowdown in demand early in 2012.