Germany’s Unemployment Shrinks Three Times as Fast as Economists Estimated - Bloomberg

German unemployment plunged in February three times as fast as economists forecast, underlining the gulf between Europe’s biggest economy and the region’s peripheral countries.
The number of people out of work fell a seasonally adjusted 52,000 to 3.07 million, the lowest since September 1992, the Nuremberg-based Federal Labor Agency said today. Economists forecast a drop […]

Stocks turn higher in midday trading

Stocks reversed earlier losses and edged higher in midday trading Thursday, as investors weighed an unexpected jump in jobless claims against a strong manufacturing report.
The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose 25,000 from the previous week. That was more than economists expected.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia […]

U.S. Mortgage Demand Falls to Two-Year Low as Refinancing Drops - Bloomberg

The number of applications for U.S. mortgages fell last week to the lowest level in more than two years as higher borrowing costs depressed refinancing.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s index of loan applications decreased 9.5 percent in the week ended Feb. 11, dropping to the lowest point since November 2008. The group’s refinancing measure slumped […]

Why my credit line was so easy to spend

I’ve been up to my elbows in tales about Canadians and consumer debt, thanks to reader reaction from our Lines of Credit Run Wild series. Stayed tuned for that follow-up story next week.
In the meantime, I have my own to share - along with some advice.
I first took out an unsecured line of credit […]

Airlines 4Q results seen capping turnaround year

Most of the major U.S. airlines will report a profit for the fourth quarter of 2010, capping a turnaround year for the industry. Wall Street expects more improvement this year, even with fuel prices rising and millions of would-be travelers still out of work.
Delta Air Lines Inc. is expected to report its third consecutive quarterly […]

Oil still fouling La. marshes, tour finds

Federal and Louisiana officials got into a heated argument Friday over the cleanup of oiled marshes during a tour of an area that remains fouled 8 1/2 months after the Deepwater Horizon rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
State and Plaquemines Parish officials took media on a boat tour of Barataria Bay, pointing out an […]

Nobelist Diamond Renominated by Obama for Fed Board - Bloomberg

President Barack Obama nominated Nobel Prize-winning economist Peter Diamond to the Federal Reserve Board, marking a third try to win Senate approval for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
The White House announced the renomination to the Fed’s Board of Governors in an e-mailed statement today. The Senate adjourned last month without approving Diamond, 70, […]

Ford tops auto market for first time in more than half a century

Ford has capped a remarkable renaissance in Canada by becoming the auto industry

U.S. Retailers’ Holiday Sales Increase 5.5%, Most Since 2005 - Bloomberg

U.S. retailers’ 2010 holiday sales jumped 5.5 percent for the best performance in five years as shoppers snapped up clothing and jewelry at Macy’s Inc., Tiffany & Co. and other stores.
Retail sales, excluding autos, rose to $584 billion from Nov. 5 through Dec. 24, said MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse, which measures retail sales by all […]

Goolsbee: Americans have a role in recovery

Americans can help the recovery along by saving more than in the past, but also by spending responsibly in proportion to income, one of President Obama’s top economic advisers said Tuesday.
In a wide-ranging interview based on questions from CNNMoney.com readers, Council of Economic Advisers chairman Austan Goolsbee said the nation can’t simply spend its […]