All Economy
Unemployment claims slide to six-week low. Jobs outlook 'upbeat.'Jobless claims filed by US Americans unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting the labor market continued to strengthen. Initial jobless claims ropped by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 289,000 for the week that ended Dec. 13, the Labor Department said on Thursday.
Are small business owners getting short-changed by banks?Small business loans totaled $4.1 billion in 2013, and banks have nothing against small business owners. But聽according to research, they are currently getting short changed when it comes to their credit cards聽and checking accounts. But why?
Panera's new animal welfare goals reduce confinement, antibioticsPanera Bread will reduce use of antibiotics and confinement for farm animals in its United States聽supply chain for Panera Bread and St. Louis Bread Company bakery-cafes, according to its new animal welfare standards.聽
Free Shipping Day: Is it really worth it?Free Shipping Day is today, Dec. 18, with many noteworthy retailers offering free shipping with no minimum purchase. But many stores already offer free shipping year-round, making their involvement in Free Shipping Day yawn-worthy at best.聽
鈥婩ed opens door to interest rate hike 鈥� a tribute to healing economyEmployers have been hiring at a faster clip. The official unemployment rate has fallen from 10 percent of the labor force five years ago to 5.8 percent today. Households have lightened their debt loads. And now a plunge in oil prices is acting like a holiday gift for consumers.
Five best laptop deals for the holidaysIf you're on the lookout to buy a notebook as a holiday gift, we've compiled this week's best laptop deals.
What inflation? Consumer prices fall by largest amount in six years.Millions of consumers are getting an end-of-year boost: the main gauge of consumer prices fell in November by the largest amount in six years, driven down by plunging fuel costs and price declines for items such as clothing and used cars.
Five great Christmas gift ideas for kidsWe all love to see the shine and excitement on our kids faces when they see their presents on Christmas morning. That's why we've rounded up five of our favorite gift deals for kids, including 36 cans of Play-Doh at 44 cents a piece, a Dora and Friends bilingual play set at a $17 low, and more.聽
Wealth gap between the rich and the middle class is now the widest on recordThe wealth gap between upper and middle income US families is now at its widest point in at least 30 years, according to a Pew study released Wednesday. Rich Americans have begun to regain the wealth lost during the Great Recession, while lower and middle income families lag behind.聽
US consumer prices slide by most in six years thanks to cheap gasConsumer prices fell 0.3 percent last month, the largest decline since December 2008, after being flat in October. The fall in consumer prices has been aiding by plunging crude oil prices, which hit a fresh聽5-1/2 year low this week on increased shale production in the US and slowing global demand.聽
Fed removes 'considerable time' from rate guidance. Stocks surge.The Federal Reserve removed 'a considerable time' from its statement Wednesday, a widely-expected signal of 聽an interest rate hike .Still, the Dow was up more than 250 points on the day Wednesday immediately following the Fed statement.聽
Fall of Russian ruble injects uncertainty into global economyRussia鈥檚 turmoil involving the ruble serves as a reminder of the way falling petroleum prices can roil the outlook for oil-exporting nations.
How Chrysler became 'FCA US LLC'As of this morning, the company formerly known as Chrysler has changed its name to 'FCA US LLC,' to better reflect its Fiat ownership.聽Thankfully for car fans, the change is mostly a technicality, and聽brand names like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram aren't going anywhere.聽
So you want to be a millionaire? Save, save, save.The first million is the hardest to make but it gets easier after that. There are three important things to learn- start saving (the earlier the better), save a big percentage of your income, and investment returns don't matter as much as your saving rate.聽
Five (more) Christmas gift ideas for menIf you're stumped about what to get for a boyfriend, dad, or another gentleman in your life for the holidays, then allow us to provide some helpful inspiration with five of our favorite Christmas gift ideas for men.聽
How Microsoft鈥檚 battle with the Justice Department could reshape privacy lawsFor Microsoft and other US tech companies, a lawsuit over e-mails stored in Dublin is an important test case to demonstrate their willingness and ability to guard customer data from government prying in a post Snowden-era.
Construction stalls in November, but US housing market is improvingUS聽housing聽starts聽and permits fell in November, but the underlying trend remained consistent with an improving聽housing聽market.聽Housing聽continues to be stymied by tepid wage growth and higher mortgage rates, but聽wages are expected to pick up next year and pull in first-time buyers.
As ruble slide continues, Wall St. looking downThe collapse in the聽ruble, which has spurred ordinary Russians to buy imported products such as fridges and cars and is stoking inflation, is likely to heap pressure on President Vladimir Putin.
Amazon extends free-shipping deadline by 1 dayAmazon聽is courting last-minute holiday shoppers by extending its free-shipping deadline to Dec. 19. Amazon says members of its $99 annual Prime loyalty program can order by Dec. 22 for two-day shipping.
Why McDonald's in Japan is only serving small friesA labor dispute at U.S. West Coast ports has doubled the amount of time it takes for french fries and other goods to reach Japan. The result is a french fries shortage in Japan.聽
