Growth quickens, but speed bumps ahead

The economy grew at its fastest pace in 1-1/2 years in the fourth quarter, but a rebuilding of stocks by businesses and slower business spending warned of weaker growth in early 2012.
Gross domestic product expanded at a 2.8 percent annual rate, the Commerce Department said on Friday, a sharp acceleration from the 1.8 percent […]

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Stocks open mixed ahead of Fed policy statement

Stocks are opening mostly lower ahead of a statement from the Federal Reserve and a news conference by its chairman.
The Fed will offer details Wednesday about how long it plans to keep interest rates very low. It also will release an economic forecast. Later, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will take questions from reporters.
Traders continue to […]

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Home builder sentiment rises for third month: NAHB

+%3Cp%3E+Homebuilder+sentiment+perked+up+in+December+for+the+third+month+in+a+row%2C+to+its+highest+level+in+a+year+and+a+half%2C+the+National+Association+of+Home+Builders+said+on+Monday.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+NAHB%2FWells+Fargo+Housing+Market+index+rose+to+21+from+a+downwardly+revised+19+in+November%2C+the+group+said.+Economists+polled+by+Reuters+had+predicted+a+reading+of+20.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+index+was+at+its+highest+level+since+May+2010.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%22While+builder+confidence+remains+low%2C+the+consistent+gains+registered+over+the+past+several+months+are+an+indication+that+pockets+of+recovery+are+slowly+starting+to+emerge+in+scattered+housing+markets%2C%22+NAHB+Chairman+Bob+Nielsen+said+in+a+statement.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EAfter+stagnating+in+a+tight+range+for+about+a+year%2C+the+index+has+been+improving+since+October%2C+giving+weight+to+analysts%27+views+that+the+housing+market+is+finally+finding+a+bottom.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EEven+with+December%27s+gain%2C+home+builder+sentiment+is+still+historically+low+and+well+below+the+50+mark%2C+indicating+more+builders+view+market+conditions+as+poor+than+favorable.+The+index+has+not+been+above+50+since+April+2006.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%22We%27re+not+looking+for+numbers+next+year+to+come+anywhere+close+to+the+kind+of+numbers+that+we+saw+pre-recession%2C+but+we+do+think+the+housing+market+is+setting+up+for+a+plus+year+in+2012+in+terms+of+new+home+construction%2C+as+well+as+sales%2C%22+said+Steve+Blitz%2C+senior+economist+at+ITG+Investment+Research+in+New+York.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+current+sales+component+rose+to+22+from+20%2C+while+the+gauge+of+sales+expectations+for+the+next+six+months+rose+to+26+from+25.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThere+was+little+impact+in+financial+markets+from+the+data+as+investors+focused+on+developments+in+the+euro+zone+and+uncertainty+following+the+death+of+North+Korean+leader+Kim+Jong-il.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp%3E%3Ca+href%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Fassets%2Fprint%3Faid%3DUSTRE7BI0ZA20111219%27+rel%3D%27nofollow%27%3ERead+more%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E+

APEC econ mins vow to offset EU woes with growth

Asia-Pacific finance ministers agreed to push ahead with efforts to boost growth and trade, and to fend off financial crisis through reforms, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Thursday.
The government debt crisis in Europe remains the central challenge to global growth, Geithner said ahead of a Pacific rim summit this weekend that encompasses economic giants […]

Looking for a job? This top-employer list might be a place to start

The 40 largest employers in the St. Louis region represent just a tiny fraction of all local employers. But they wield tremendous hiring clout, employing more than 260,000 people, or a fifth of all jobs here.
If only they were hiring more. Just 12 of the 40 are actively recruiting to expand their workforce, according to […]

Putin praises himself as ‘most hardworking’ leader

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has praised himself as Russia’s “most hardworking” leader since World War II.
In his first lengthy interview since last month’s announcement that he will seek a third presidential term, the 59-year-old prime minister said that Communist-era leaders were not physically capable and did not have “the will” to run the country […]

Two St. Charles County developers admit mortgage fraud

ST. LOUISĀ 

Calls rise for global focus on creating jobs

World governments must not let their focus on spending cuts keep them from creating jobs that will be a key part of economic recovery, an international group of experts warned on Monday.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the International Labor Organization say government support for the unemployed _ both with subsidies and job […]

Europe eyes merits of boosting growth to cut debt

After months of talk that Europe can only be saved by slashing its spending, a growing chorus of voices is calling for a new tack, encouraging governments to instead stimulate growth _ even if that means spending money.
As a slowdown in the global economic recovery threatens to undo Europe’s austerity efforts, experts are reviving a […]

Canada fears Euro fallout

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