February 2012

Tweet Signs indicate that the mild non-winter of 2011-2012 is giving the economy a much-needed boost. Warm weather has helped employment in fields such as construction, and also helped consumers save on heating bills. More jobs, and a little more money in American consumers’ pockets, have meant increased spending at places such as home improvement [...]

Tweet Purchases of new homes in the U.S. exceeded forecasts in January after climbing a month earlier to a one-year high, more evidence the housing market is stabilizing. Sales, tabulated when contracts are signed, fell 0.9 percent to a 321,000 annual pace from a 324,000 rate in December that was stronger than previously reported, figures [...]

Tweet Economists are increasingly confident that some pillars of the U.S. economy will improve this year, but they still remain cautious in their expectations on the overall pace of economic growth. The National Association for Business Economics said that forecasters have raised their expectations for employment, new home construction and business spending this year. But [...]

Tweet Consumer sentiment rebounded from a midmonth dip to finish February at the highest level in a year, buoyed by recent employment gains. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan index rose to 75.3 from a preliminary February reading of 72.5. Economists surveyed by Econoday expected a more modest increase to 73, with a consensus range between [...]