Copyright (c) 2012 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/business/us-economy business Economy News en-us Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:51:11 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/business/us-economy http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142c.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax ap/20120214/us_payroll_tax AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:51:11 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.5724bd216dad48189b665ec96b3b61ea-ba99b619363243fc8d736131c58634b5-0.jpg?x=130&y=111&q=85&sig=smGhRAt4BszctPFDHPXFqg--" align="left" height="111" width="130" alt="President Barack Obama speaks to continue to push Congress to act to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance through the end of the year, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, in the Old Executive Office building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)" border="0" /></a>AP - President Barack Obama said Tuesday he's hopeful Congress will renew a 2-percentage-point cut in the payroll tax before it lapses at the end of the month, but said it's important to also renew jobless benefits for millions of the long-term unemployed as well.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.5724bd216dad48189b665ec96b3b61ea-ba99b619363243fc8d736131c58634b5-0.jpg?x=130&y=111&q=85&sig=smGhRAt4BszctPFDHPXFqg--" align="left" height="111" width="130" alt="photo" title="President Barack Obama speaks to continue to push Congress to act to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance through the end of the year, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, in the Old Executive Office building on the White House complex in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_fed_plosser ap/20120214/us_fed_plosser AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:58:26 GMT AP - The head of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank warned Tuesday against efforts to accelerate the nation's economic recovery, citing the threat of inflation. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_re_us/us_wisconsin_obama ap/20120214/us_wisconsin_obama AP us Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:53:01 GMT AP - President Barack Obama will try to use his visit to a Milwaukee padlock manufacturer to highlight an improving economy and companies that are creating jobs in the U.S. rather than shipping them overseas. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/ts_nm/us_usa_economy_geithner nm/20120214/us_usa_economy_geithner Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:46:26 GMT Reuters - The Obama administration's corporate tax reform plan will end "dozens and dozens" of breaks, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Tuesday as he defended the White House's election-year call for higher taxes from wealthy taxpayers. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_usa_economy nm/20120214/us_usa_economy Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:59:07 GMT Reuters - Retail sales rose less than expected in January, hurt by discounting in the auto sector, but a rebound in an underlying measure of sales suggested a solid underpinning for the economy's recovery. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_retail_sales ap/20120214/us_retail_sales AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:50:12 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_retail_sales"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.c84d97f875a040dbaed839faf69a7a6b-2366cacdb8704c2e8c96801f1531a67b-0.jpg?x=130&y=119&q=85&sig=nFx6P_U8sM38j6wWUa8NnA--" align="left" height="119" width="130" alt="FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012 file photo, shoppers head into the Walmart store at the Steelyard Commons shopping complex in Cleveland. Americans rebounded from a weak holiday season and stepped up spending on retail goods in January, an encouraging sign for the strengthening economy. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)" border="0" /></a>AP - Americans rebounded from a weak holiday season and stepped up spending on retail goods in January. The latest government report on retail sales pointed to a slowly improving economy.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/us_retail_sales"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.c84d97f875a040dbaed839faf69a7a6b-2366cacdb8704c2e8c96801f1531a67b-0.jpg?x=130&y=119&q=85&sig=nFx6P_U8sM38j6wWUa8NnA--" align="left" height="119" width="130" alt="photo" title="FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012 file photo, shoppers head into the Walmart store at the Steelyard Commons shopping complex in Cleveland. Americans rebounded from a weak holiday season and stepped up spending on retail goods in January, an encouraging sign for the strengthening economy. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta, File)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_business_inventories ap/20120214/us_business_inventories AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:05:13 GMT AP - Businesses restocked at a faster pace in December, a positive sign that they expect consumer demand to rise. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/ts_nm/us_venezuela_economy_election nm/20120214/us_venezuela_economy_election Reuters topstories Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:22:26 GMT Reuters - From new homes in slums to cash for struggling mothers, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez is unleashing a flood of state spending to try to tip the balance in what looks like the toughest presidential election of his political career. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_eurozone_economy nm/20120214/us_eurozone_economy Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:17:11 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_eurozone_economy"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20120214/i/r1598126878.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=H_fzFptyxAOnBXy7rnBQFQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Workers assemble cars at a factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen in this January 24, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Michael Dalder" border="0" /></a>Reuters - German analyst and investor sentiment leapt to its highest level in 10 months in February, reinforcing signs that Europe's largest economy is returning to growth as the rest of the euro zone faces a mild recession.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_eurozone_economy"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20120214/i/r1598126878.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=H_fzFptyxAOnBXy7rnBQFQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="Workers assemble cars at a factory in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen in this January 24, 2012 file photo. REUTERS/Michael Dalder" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_economy ap/20120214/eu_europe_economy AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:56:28 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_economy"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120213/capt.b04efc9723224f15991fe99755ab2171-b04efc9723224f15991fe99755ab2171-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=B6u_kP6RQRkqMuPFUorltw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Alda Silva does the bookkeeping of her food store Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 in Lisbon. Small firms with fewer than fifty workers make up more than 99 percent of Portugal's businesses and they're collapsing at an alarming rate. The debt-crippled eurozone country is choking amid grinding austerity measures enacted in return for a 78 billion euro ($103 billion) bailout, a steep recession, an acute shortage of cash, and record unemployment. (AP Photo/ Francisco Seco)" border="0" /></a>AP - A run of downbeat economic news Tuesday reinforced expectations that the 17-nation eurozone's economy shrank during the last three months of 2011 as the government debt crisis dragged on even the biggest and richest countries.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_europe_economy"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120213/capt.b04efc9723224f15991fe99755ab2171-b04efc9723224f15991fe99755ab2171-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=B6u_kP6RQRkqMuPFUorltw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="Alda Silva does the bookkeeping of her food store Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 in Lisbon. Small firms with fewer than fifty workers make up more than 99 percent of Portugal's businesses and they're collapsing at an alarming rate. The debt-crippled eurozone country is choking amid grinding austerity measures enacted in return for a 78 billion euro ($103 billion) bailout, a steep recession, an acute shortage of cash, and record unemployment. (AP Photo/ Francisco Seco)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_usa_economy_instant nm/20120214/us_usa_economy_instant Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:47:11 GMT Reuters - Retail sales rose less than expected in January as consumers cut back on car purchases and did less online shopping. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_obama_budget ap/20120214/us_obama_budget AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:48:32 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_obama_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.d3dd42689084424f91b4a064fa93e00c-d3dd42689084424f91b4a064fa93e00c-0.jpg?x=130&y=90&q=85&sig=2l7lODxbgpmEq5GAPMmTbQ--" align="left" height="90" width="130" alt="Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" border="0" /></a>AP - Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress Tuesday that the president's new $3.8 trillion spending plan would impose new taxes on only 2 percent of the nation's wealthiest families and the alternative would be to seek more painful cuts in other government programs such as defense, Social Security and Medicare.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_co/us_obama_budget"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.d3dd42689084424f91b4a064fa93e00c-d3dd42689084424f91b4a064fa93e00c-0.jpg?x=130&y=90&q=85&sig=2l7lODxbgpmEq5GAPMmTbQ--" align="left" height="90" width="130" alt="photo" title="Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012, before the Senate Finance Committee hearing on President Barack Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_china ap/20120214/us_us_china AP politics Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:44:44 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_china"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.26ee46eff9ac4d23a01ad4a60c7ddf20-26ee46eff9ac4d23a01ad4a60c7ddf20-0.jpg?x=130&y=120&q=85&sig=YbkV2sS27eGdZmZsAzqAJw--" align="left" height="120" width="130" alt="President Barack Obama meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Tuesday, Feb., 14, 2012, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)" border="0" /></a>AP - President Barack Obama assured China's heir apparent to leadership that the United States welcomes Beijing's rise in the world, saying Tuesday that strong cooperation between the two powers is good for the rest of the world.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_china"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20120214/capt.26ee46eff9ac4d23a01ad4a60c7ddf20-26ee46eff9ac4d23a01ad4a60c7ddf20-0.jpg?x=130&y=120&q=85&sig=YbkV2sS27eGdZmZsAzqAJw--" align="left" height="120" width="130" alt="photo" title="President Barack Obama meets with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Tuesday, Feb., 14, 2012, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_japan_economy_boj nm/20120214/us_japan_economy_boj Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 11:33:46 GMT Reuters - The Bank of Japan boosted its asset buying program by $130 billion on Tuesday and in the face of political pressure set an inflation goal of 1 percent, signaling a more aggressive monetary policy to pull an ailing economy out of deflation. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_economy ap/20120214/eu_britain_economy AP business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:30:06 GMT AP - Britain's inflation rate fell to 3.6 percent in the year to January from 4.2 percent the previous month, official figures showed Tuesday, to the likely relief of cash-strapped households which have seen muted pay increases more than eaten up by rising prices. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_budget_economic_assumptions ap/20120214/us_obama_budget_economic_assumptions AP politics Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:16:27 GMT AP - A glance at Obama's economic assumptions http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120214/bs_nm/us_usa_fed_williams nm/20120214/us_usa_fed_williams Reuters business Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:39:23 GMT Reuters - The U.S. Federal Reserve should do all it can to reduce very high unemployment and bring inflation back up to more desirable levels, a top Fed official said on Monday. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120213/ap_on_bi_ge/us_volcker_rule ap/20120213/us_volcker_rule AP business Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:00:46 GMT AP - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Monday issued a broad defense of a federal rule bearing his name that would prohibit banks from trading for their own profit. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120213/bs_nm/us_spain_banks_ratings nm/20120213/us_spain_banks_ratings Reuters business Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:24:29 GMT Reuters - Ratings agencies Fitch lowered its ratings on four big Spanish banks while Standard & Poor's cut its rating for the industry as a whole on Monday following recent sovereign downgrades and on concerns of funding difficulties and a weak economy. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120213/pl_nm/us_usa_budget_foreign nm/20120213/us_usa_budget_foreign Reuters politics Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:08:02 GMT Reuters - The White House announced plans on Monday to help countries swept by "Arab Spring" revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid, while maintaining U.S. military assistance to Egypt despite a crisis triggered by an Egyptian crackdown on U.S. democracy activists.