US economy

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>

Second Stimulus, Additional Debt Release Coming

President to trade short-term spending for long-term cuts

(Newser) - President Obama's promises to boost jobs and cut the deficit are taking shape, with a new stimulus and tax cuts for companies that hire new workers to be announced in a major address right after Labor Day, reports the Washington Post . The stimulus is said to focus on road...

Dow Rises 100+ on Retail Sales Report

S&P 500, Nasdaq also rise

(Newser) - Markets are up, at least for now: The Dow was up more than 100 points at open, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq following suit, up about 11 and 13 points, respectively, MarketWatch reports. An upbeat report on retail sales no doubt prodded stocks upward: July sales rose a...

S&P: Oh, We Might Downgrade US Again

Worried partisanship will block meaningful debt reform

(Newser) - Standard & Poor's yesterday not only defended its decision to downgrade America's once-vaunted AAA credit rating for the first time, it warned that a second downgrade could be on the way if the US doesn't get its act together. “Compared to some other highly rated governments,...

Standard &amp; Poor&#39;s Made the Right Decision
Standard & Poor's
Made the Right Decision
OPINION
Aug 6, 2011 4:20 PM CDT

Standard & Poor's Made the Right Decision

S&P may be flawed, but that doesn't make it wrong on this one: Klein, Gandel

(Newser) - Standard & Poor's is taking a lot of criticism today of the how-can-these-geniuses-lecture-us variety. Kind of like this . All of it is warranted, writes Ezra Klein at the Washington Post . After all, the folks at S&P "didn’t just miss the bubble," he writes. "They...

Recession Worse Than Thought; GDP Growth Weak

Economy grew just 1.3% over past three months

(Newser) - We already knew the Great Recession was the worst in decades, but in fact we were even worse off than we thought, new figures show. The economy shrank 5.1% over the course of the recession, from 2007 to 2009—1 percentage point worse than the earlier estimate of 4....

59% Pessimistic About US Economy
 59% Pessimistic 
 About US Economy 
survey says
Jul 25, 2011 3:27 PM CDT

59% Pessimistic About US Economy

That's the highest level in nearly 15 years

(Newser) - With unemployment levels high and the US on the brink of default , is it any surprise that American pessimism has reached a 15-year high? A new CNN poll cited by Politico finds that 59% expect the economy to be in bad shape a year from now, the highest percentage since...

4.4M Have Been Jobless for More Than a Year

Lengthy jobless periods lead to vicious cycle of unemployment

(Newser) - Some 30% of unemployed workers across the US—about 4.4 million people—had been jobless for more than a year as of last month, Labor Department data shows. Long unemployment periods were especially pronounced in New Jersey (37.1%), Georgia (36.8%), Michigan (36.0%), South Carolina (35.7%),...

More Gloom: Layoffs Hit 9-Month High

And the future is looking bleak, say economists

(Newser) - Layoffs have climbed to their highest level in nearly a year—1.78 million workers were handed pink slips in May, the most since August 2010—increasing ever-present fears about the US economy. The Wall Street Journal highlights the latest casualties: Cisco Systems plans to slash 6,500 jobs; Lockheed...

Obama: I Won't Sign Any 'Stop-Gap' Debt Deal

President says budget talks will continue 'every day'

(Newser) - Compromise was the theme of President Obama's press conference today, during which he acknowledged that yesterday's budget talks did not result in a deal—but promised that "we're gonna meet every single day until we get this thing resolved." He insisted that he and "...

Paul Krugman: President Obama Seems to Have Accepted Republicans' Economic Fixes

 Obama Now 
 Talking Like 
 a Republican 
Paul Krugman
Jul 8, 2011 1:26 PM CDT

Obama Now Talking Like a Republican

Paul Krugman: It's getting harder to trust him on the economy

(Newser) - The way President Obama is talking lately, it sounds an awful lot like he's accepted the "economic fallacies" of Republicans, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . He seems more concerned about cutting the deficit and slashing spending than creating jobs. It's possible this is part...

Obama on Jobs: 'We've Still Got a Long Way to Go'

President urges Congress to act on several initiatives to juice economy

(Newser) - President Obama didn't try to put a pretty face on today's bleak unemployment figures : The numbers confirm "what most Americans already know," he said: "We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do." He urged Congress to pass...

Unemployment Now 9.2% as Hiring Nears Standstill

And May numbers revised downward as well

(Newser) - The June jobs report is out, and it isn't pretty. Hiring slowed to a near-standstill last month: Employers added the fewest jobs in nine months and the unemployment rate rose to 9.2%. The Labor Department says the economy generated only 18,000 net jobs in June, and the...

Unemployment Claims Dip, June Likely to Stay at 9.1%

Two semi-positive reports out ahead of tomorrow's Labor report

(Newser) - US stock futures are rising after two encouraging employment reports. The government said today that the number of Americans who made first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped to 418,000 last week, slightly below estimates and the lowest figure in seven weeks. In a separate look at the labor market,...

Bill Clinton's 14 Ways to Create Jobs

Clinton prepares for Global Initiative meeting—on fixing America

(Newser) - If unemployment seems like an insurmountable problem, never fear: Bill Clinton is here, and he has solutions—14 of them, which he’ll bring next week to the first US-focused meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. Among the highlights of his jobs blueprint, as shared with Newsweek :
  • Make it easier
...

Obama: Economy 'Going to Take Time'

President pleads for patience in weekly address

(Newser) - President Obama today sought the public's patience with a slowing economy and said training workers for manufacturing jobs despite declines in that sector will help put the economy on a path toward growth. "We didn't get into this mess overnight. And we won't get out of...

Elite &#39;Pain Caucus&#39; Is Killing America
 Elite 'Pain Caucus' 
 Is Killing America 
paul krugman
Jun 10, 2011 1:35 PM CDT

Elite 'Pain Caucus' Is Killing America

Rich creditors dictate policy, leave jobless in the lurch: Paul Krugman

(Newser) - Ordinary Americans are reeling under the high unemployment rate, and the economy is teetering as well. So why do politicians in both parties refuse to spend money to create jobs? Blame the "Pain Caucus," writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times . This caucus consists of "rentiers,...

Unemployment Rate Rises to 9.1%

And fewer new jobs than expected were created

(Newser) - Employers hired only 54,000 new workers in May, the fewest in eight months, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.1%. The Labor Department report offers startling evidence that the US economy is slowing, hampered by high gas prices and natural disasters in Japan that have hurt US manufacturers....

Upside of Pricey Oil: Packages Easier to Open

Expensive 'clamshell' containers may be phased out

(Newser) - The rough economy has its benefits—chief among them the fact that it’s becoming easier to open your new lightbulbs. With oil prices soaring, manufacturers and retailers are looking to cut down on plastic packaging, the New York Times reports. One potential casualty: the clamshell package, which is notoriously...

Now Hiring: US Factories
 Now Hiring: 
 US Factories 
May 6, 2011 2:54 PM CDT

Now Hiring: US Factories

Manufacturers struggle to fill openings for skilled workers

(Newser) - It may seem odd amid days of 9% unemployment , but US manufacturers are struggling to fill openings, the Wall Street Journal reports. One of the problems is that schools aren't producing enough applicants with the requisite math and science knowledge. Factory work no longer equates to no-skills work: Employees...

Unemployment Rises to 9%, but Hiring Is Up

As more rejoin the job search, unemployment rate goes up

(Newser) - Employers added more than 200,000 jobs in April for the third straight month, the biggest hiring spree in five years. But the unemployment rate rose to 9% in part because some people resumed looking for work. The Labor Department says the economy added 244,000 jobs last month. Private...

Stories 301 - 320 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser