UNITED STATES

The U.S. trade deficit widened slightly more than expected in December, as stronger U.S. economic growth lifted imports to the highest level in three-and-a-half years.

Economists in a survey see the unemployment rate falling much faster this year than previously expected, an improvement in the jobs market that could help President Obama's re-election chances.

Is Steve Jobs a visionary and a creative genius, who had created the Apple empire and had radically changed the way people use technology in their daily lives, or is he a deceptive person with questionable moral character, drug-taking problem, someone who had abandoned his illegitimate daughter, and had distorted reality? A 191-page FBI file about Jobs, which had been compiled in 1991, and released Thursday, gives you the answer.

Consumers are feeling relatively upbeat about where the economy will be six months from now, but right now, after maxing out their credit card and perhaps purchasing a big-ticket item over the holidays, they're planning on sticking to a budget. Those are the main findings from a preliminary survey of February consumer confidence conducted by the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters, which was released Friday morning.