2010, April | featured news

Initial requests for jobless benefits rose last week to their highest level since April, a sign that hiring remains weak and some companies are still cutting workers. The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 19,000 to a seasonally adjusted 479,000. Analysts had expected a small drop. Claims have risen twice in the past three weeks.

In a sign that the state's struggling labor market may be strengthening, 14,200 positions were added by employers in April, the second straight month of expansion.

Retail sales and industrial production in April both enjoyed continued growth, reinforcing the sustainability of the economic recovery in the United States. On Friday the U.S. Commerce Department reported retail sales gained 0.4% in April, ahead of Wall Street’s expected 0.2% rise, but below the 2.1% jump in March. Peter Newland, economist at Barclays Capital, notes that the total was driven by a 0.5% increase in both autos and gasoline, and a 6.9% jump in building material sales. All of that is nice, but core sales, which exclude these elements, actually fell 0.2%, which is much weaker than excepted.

While improving, the job market still has a long way to go before it can be counted on to provide a base for a sustained economic recovery.

Early reports from retailers show that Americans took a a breather from their March shopping spree in April, partly because Easter came earlier. But the spring selling season is ending up respectable, an encouraging sign for the economy....

General Motors said its domestic sales in April rose 20% for the four brands the company is keeping thanks to continued strength in crossover vehicles and cars.

U.S. auto sales continued to rise in April as the stabilizing economy and attractive discounts brought more consumers into showrooms.

Tiger Woods, who had withdrawn from competitive golf after details of his adulterous affairs surfaced late last year, will return to professional golf at the U.S. Masters in early April, he said in a statement.

Apple's eagerly anticipated iPad will be available in the United States on April 3, the company said Friday.