More than 321,000 households received at least one foreclosure-related notice last month — 18 percent more than a year earlier — but the smallest annual gain since June 2006.
The U.S. trade deficit edged up in April as crude oil prices hit the highest level since December, but the imbalance so far in 2009 is well below last year's total as the recession dampens demand for imports.
U.S. workers were more productive in the first quarter than previously estimated, the government said Thursday, as rapid layoffs meant companies were forced to make do with fewer employees.
A pair of unrelated Boston-based hedge funds managing a total of more than $1.3 billion separately told investors today they're shutting down and returning investor cash because of recent disappointing performance.
The number of U.S. homebuyers who agreed to purchase a previously occupied home in April posted the largest monthly jump in nearly eight years, a sign that sales are finally coming to life after a long and painful slump.
Economists expect an index measuring the manufacturing sector's health to have contracted at a slower pace in May than in the previous month.
Federal regulators have sued a defunct California investment brokerage and its former CEO, accusing them of fraud in selling more than $300 million worth of risky mortgage-backed securities to unsophisticated investors.
A late day shot of adrenaline has sent stock prices soaring and given the big market indexes their third straight monthly gain.
Private coverage for the average individual costs an extra $370 a year because of the cost-shifting, which happens when someone without medical insurance gets care at an emergency room or elsewhere and then doesn't pay.
Sales of previously occupied homes rose modestly from March to April as buyers who were brave enough to dive into the market took advantage of prices that were 15.4 percent below year-ago levels.
