Payroll Growth Smallest in Nearly 2 Years (AP)
June 03, 2005 02:00
AP - Job growth slowed nearly to a crawl in May, with new hiring registering the smallest gain in almost two years. The unemployment rate dipped to a low 5.1 percent, however.

Snow believes China will move on yuan (Reuters)
June 03, 2005 12:29
Reuters - U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow, speaking one week before he meets with his Chinese counterpart in London, said on Friday that he believed Beijing would relax its controlled currency regime.

Gramlich says doesn't know where Fed is on rates (Reuters)
June 03, 2005 11:08
Reuters - Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich said on Friday he did not know where the U.S. central bank was in its interest-rate rise cycle but that it would keep working to safeguard price stability.

US economy posts disappointing jobs report (AFP)
June 03, 2005 10:30
AFP - The United States last month recorded its weakest rate of job creation since August 2003, the government said, but economists played down fears of a new slowdown.

Gramlich unclear on interest-rate cycle (Reuters)
June 03, 2005 07:09
Reuters - Federal Reserve Governor Edward Gramlich said on Friday he did not know what stage the U.S. central bank was at in its interest-rate rise cycle.

US economy creates 78,000 jobs in May (AFP)
June 03, 2005 07:00
AFP - The US economy created just 78,000 more jobs in May, the smallest rise since August 2003, the government said in the closely watched non-farms payroll report.

Payroll growth surprisingly slow (Reuters)
June 03, 2005 05:37
Reuters - U.S. employers added only 78,000 workers to their payrolls last month, far fewer than expected, a government report showed on Friday, but the unemployment rate edged down to it lowest level since September 2001.

Jobs seen growing in May, factories weak (Reuters)
June 03, 2005 05:23
Reuters - U.S. employers likely added 185,000 jobs in May despite factory layoffs, but a steady stream of new job seekers means the unemployment rate should not budge from 5.2 percent, economists said.

Fed official's baseball analogy throws economists a curve (AFP)
June 02, 2005 11:20
AFP - Comments from a Federal Reserve official -- using a baseball analogy suggesting the rate-hiking phase may be near an end -- have thrown economists and financial markets for a curve.

Auto layoffs push jobless claims higher (Reuters)
June 02, 2005 05:34
Reuters - Temporary layoffs in the U.S. auto industry helped push initial claims for jobless benefits up by a sharper-than-expected 25,000 last week, according to a government report on Thursday that suggested little change in the underlying pace of layoffs.

Rate increases may be near end, official says (USATODAY.com)
June 02, 2005 03:16
USATODAY.com - The Federal Reserve has room to raise interest rates further but is getting close to the end of its tightening cycle, Richard Fisher, the new president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, told CNBC TV Wednesday.

Bonds Jump on Low Manufacturing Activity (AP)
June 01, 2005 02:46
AP - Bond prices jumped Wednesday on remarks from a Federal Reserve official who suggested the rate tightening cycle is drawing to a close and a weaker than expected report on manufacturing activity.

Fed may end tightening cycle: Dallas Fed (Reuters)
June 01, 2005 01:03
Reuters - The Federal Reserve may soon end its series of interest rate increases but inflation remains a risk because of strong U.S. growth, Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher said on Wednesday.

Chain store sales rise in third week of May (Reuters)
June 01, 2005 06:18
Reuters - U.S. chain store sales slowed in the last week of May, as cool weather curbed the sales of seasonal goods, a report said on Wednesday.

Chain store sales fall in the latest week (Reuters)
June 01, 2005 04:52
Reuters - U.S. chain store retail sales fell in the latest week, taking the index to its lowest reading in nine weeks as cooler weather curbed consumers purchases of seasonal goods, retail report said on Wednesday.

Consumer confidence rose May 29 week -ABC (Reuters)
May 31, 2005 02:45
Reuters - The confidence of U.S. consumers rose in the latest week as gasoline prices eased, ABC News and the Washington Post said in a survey released on Tuesday.

Consumers feel more upbeat in May, report says (Reuters)
May 31, 2005 07:46
Reuters - U.S. consumer confidence rose in May with concerns about jobs and the economy easing, a report said on Tuesday.

U.S. Official Urges Russia Investment Laws (AP)
May 31, 2005 06:21
AP - Russia needs to set clear rules and apply laws consistently if it wants to attract the investment it needs to thrive, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said Tuesday.

US economy strong, but relies on 'unprecedented borrowing': IMF (AFP)
May 27, 2005 02:34
AFP - The US economy has "solidified" over the past year and the outlook is favorable, but is relying on "unprecedented borrowing" from foreign sources, the International Monetary Fund said.

Fed's Ferguson: house prices high (Reuters)
May 27, 2005 12:04
Reuters - House prices seem high in much of the United States and price growth is likely to slow, Federal Reserve Vice-Chairman Roger Ferguson said on Friday in the latest indication of policy-makers' concern about the issue.