Economy

IMF: Don't sweat inflation

IMF says inflation in check, gives green light to central banks that want to take action to spur growth. More

Job-hopping millennials no different than their parents

The average 25-year-old has already worked at least 6 jobs, not much more than the baby boomers, who worked an average of 5.5 jobs by that age. More

5 jobs with biggest pay hikes

Wages hit a speed bump in the first quarter, according to PayScale, but pay was still up 3.5% year over year. These 5 professions saw even bigger raises than that. More

Volcker: Central banks are too aggressive

Former Federal Reserve chair Paul Volcker warned that central banks could pose risks to the global economy with their unorthodox and aggressive moves. More

Inflation slows dramatically in China

China's consumer price index dropped dramatically last month, retreating from a 10-month high posted in February. More

Senate confirms SEC chief Mary Jo White

The Senate confirmed former U.S. attorney for New York White as chairman of Wall Street watchdog in Obama's second term. More

To date, President Obama has raised tax rates on the rich, extended a few of his new tax breaks for the middle class, and kept their income tax rates down. Here's what the president will push for now. More

Major tax haven users exposed

Leaked documents name more than 100,000 people, including politicians in France and Russia, with off-shore tax haven accounts. Play

Portugal plans new cuts to save bailout

Portugal will cut spending on education, health and welfare in a bid to meet the terms of its international rescue. More

Australia, China strike deal on currency

The Australian dollar is set to become only the third currency to trade directly with the Chinese yuan -- a move that will help internationalize China's currency. More

Your mailman is retiring

The U.S. Postal Service continues to shrink its labor force, mostly through retirements. More

Retail jobs take a big hit

Retail jobs decline by 24,000. Analysts blame cold weather, tax hikes and government spending cuts. More

Explaining the disappointing jobs report

Christine Romans helps put the March jobs report into context. Play

Initial jobless claims spike

The government said 385,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week, up from 357,000 the week prior. More

Unemployment rate falls for all the wrong reasons

Unemployment rate falls because a half-million people fell out of the labor force in March, either because they lost jobs or stopped looking. More

Big business fights human trafficking

Prodded by public pressure and a new California law, Delta, Apple and many other companies are taking steps to combat human trafficking. More

When will the Federal Reserve be led by a woman?

In its 100-year history, the Fed has never been led by a woman, but Janet Yellen is the favorite pick for chair, should Ben Bernanke step down. More

Dementia care costs top $100 billion

Study estimates that cost of treating Alzheimer and other forms of dementia is now more than $100 billion. More

The geeky debt fix that stirs the pot

It's controversial, but chained CPI, a different way to measure inflation, could help President Obama and Republicans cut a debt-reduction deal this summer. More

Federal furloughs a non-event? Not so fast

Americans may not be seeing the effects of furloughs yet as many federal agencies have either delayed or are reviewing them. But courts are already facing them, and many more are coming soon. More

Israel's play for energy independence

The Tamar offshore gas field in the Mediterranean has gone online and it could be an economic and political game changer for Israel. Play

ECB leaves rates unchanged

Despite worsening European recession, ECB leaves rates at July 2012 levels; Draghi due to speak later Thursday. More

Bank of Japan takes fight to deflation

The Bank of Japan launched what promises to be an aggressive campaign against deflation Thursday, announcing a fresh round of bond purchases. More

Offshore tax shelters disclosed in leaked documents

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists says its study of millions of leaked documents detail growing abuse of offshore tax shelters. More

Bank of Japan shocks markets

Japan's Nikkei reversed early losses and closed 2.2% higher Thursday after the country's central bank pledged to double its monetary base over the next two years. More

ADP: Private sector job growth slowed in March

Private sector added 158,000 jobs in March, according to a report issued Wednesday by payroll processing firm ADP. More

TV streaming startup vs. the networks

Aereo allows users to stream broadcast networks over the internet and the major media companies are not happy about it. Play

Bitcoin ATMs coming soon

Entrepreneur Jeff Berwick plans to put Bitcoin ATMs in Los Angeles and Cyprus in the coming weeks. But the virtual currency comes with risks. More

Most individual health insurance isn't good enough for Obamacare

More than half of individual health plans would not qualify for sale in 2014, prompting providers to overhaul their product lineups. More

Cyprus finance minister resigns

Finance minister Michael Sarris stepped down from his post just as Cyprus finalized a 10 billion euro bailout. More

Bank of Japan set to launch war on deflation

Dramatic policy changes at the Bank of Japan are likely to start moving from rhetoric to reality Thursday, as the country makes an ambitious bid to reverse 15 years of deflation. More

Investors still bullish on stocks

A majority of individual investors surveyed by Fidelity said they expect the S&P 500 to end the year with gains, while only 12% expect the benchmark index will end lower. More

Fannie Mae posts record profit

Improved housing market lifts Fannie Mae profits to record $17.2 billion in '12, just four years after losses forced government takeover and bailout. More

Top tax rates: U.S. vs. the world

Top combined U.S. income tax rate is far from highest compared to other countries' rates. More

Home remodeling is back

Home renovation spending is at its highest level in 6 years. But which rooms are the best to remodel if you want to sell? Play

You don't want to be a CEO in Mississippi

Think CEOs make the big bucks? It depends what state they're in. More

Wages stink at America's most common jobs

Seven of the 10 most common jobs in the U.S. come with low wages. Only registered nurses buck the trend. More

Europe unemployment hits record high

Official European Union figures published Tuesday showed unemployment in the eurozone hit a record high of 12.0% in February. More

U.S. manufacturing growth slows in March

U.S. manufacturing activity marks fourth consecutive month of growth despite a slight slowdown. More

S. Florida real estate making a comeback

This 32-story condo was essentially a ghost town in 2009, but now has plenty of residents as home prices rebound. Play

Why global carmakers are feeling good

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn says there is "much more excitement" thanks to profits in the auto industry despite the bad economy in Europe. Play

Incomes bounce back in February

Government says personal income rose 1.1% in February, while spending rose 0.7%. The stronger-than-expected report was mainly due to "special factors" in January. More

'I can't let this town become Detroit'

Tom Roeser has bought dozens of distressed homes in Carpentersville, Ill. He's renovating them and selling or renting them out at a discount. Play

China cities move to cool red-hot housing market

Two leading cities in China have announced new efforts to cool their property markets amid a return to rapidly rising housing prices. More

China's manufacturing sector adds momentum

Activity in China's manufacturing sector accelerated in March, bolstering hopes for a more robust economic recovery this year. More

Markets charge ahead

With all major indices up about 10% so far this year, investors are optimistic that 2013 will be a robust year for the economy. Play

Defense cuts furloughs to 14 days, from 22

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced that some 800,000 civilian workers will face 14 days off unpaid days through September, down from 22 days. Congress gave the agency room to help blunt cuts. More

France's Hollande wants 75% payroll tax on rich

French President Francois Hollande changes his 75% tax rate proposal, shifting burden from individuals to businesses that pay salaries over 1 million euros. More

China & Russia: Hot health markets

Novartis CEO Joseph Jimenez discusses growth opportunities in China and Russia which have both improved access to care. Play

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg faces $1 billion tax bill

Even among billionaires, the Facebook founder's massive tax bill is fairly rare. More

Furlough means I can't pay my student loan

Single mom Laurie Vroman is going to defer federal student loan payments as she struggles to make ends meet from the pay cut she'll take due to government furloughs. More

One in four U.S. firms in China report data theft

More than one in four U.S. businesses operating in China have experienced the breach or theft of proprietary data or trade secrets, according to a new survey. More

BRICS leaders ponder development bank

The leaders of the world's largest developing countries want a bank to rival the IMF and World Bank, but they fell short of agreeing on financing terms. Play

Cyprus banks reopen without a run

The mood was relatively calm in the hours after Cyprus reopened its banks allowing policy-makers to exhale, for now. Play

U.S. economy climbs off the mat

Final fourth quarter GDP report shows economy grew at a 0.4% rate, much better than the near-zero growth in previous estimates. More

Jobless claims rise slightly

The government said 357,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week, up from 341,000 the week prior. More

Cyprus banks reopen with tough cash limits

Banks in Cyprus open their doors for first time in nearly two weeks with strict controls on amount of cash people can withdraw. More

Bitcoin prices surge post-Cyprus bailout

As investors become increasingly frazzled by the bailout of Cyprus that's expected to impose losses on depositors, the price of the cyber currency Bitcoin has more than doubled. More

IRS warns of 'dirty dozen' tax scams

The IRS releases its 'dirty dozen' list of tax scams to watch out for this tax season. More

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Seniors would see smaller Social Security checks under Obama budget
Federal Reserve goofs and releases minutes early
Obama to propose limits on IRAs for the rich
Dow and S&P 500 hit new record highs
What's in Obama's budget

Latest Report	Next Update
Jobs	May 3
Home prices	April 30
Consumers confidence	April 30
GDP	April 26
Manufacturing	May 1
Inflation (CPI)	April 16

Overnight Avg Rate	Latest	Last Week
30 yr fixed	3.57%	3.69%
15 yr fixed	2.78%	2.93%
5/1 ARM	2.64%	2.82%
30 yr refi	3.55%	3.76%
15 yr refi	2.77%	3.02%