UNEMPLOYMENT

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell by 3,000 to 382,000 last week, unwinding some of the weather-related spike during the previous week

The four-week moving average for new jobless claims rose for the fifth consecutive week, to its highest level since June.

The Palestinian Authority's budget is short some $400 million, a gap that will remain and cause serious fiscal difficulties, even if all donors fulfill their 2012 pledges to Palestine, the World Bank warned on Wednesday.

Lonmin miners who went on strike last month have agreed to a 22 percent pay raise and will return to work this week. But the strike has taken a toll on South Africa's economy, and other mines still face unrest.

The stock markets are having a monster rally. But next earnings season might challenge that.

The latest United Colors of Benetton promotional campaign, valued at approximately $26 million, will give seed money to young entrepreneurs whose ideas are most popular among registered visitors to the company's site.

Romney's gaffe is unquestionably an egregious one. But it also affirms, however crudely, a central narrative forwarded by Romney and the GOP.

Three key U.S. housing reports Wednesday are expected to show small improvements in the market.

Like the rock industry itself, Rolling Stone fell into a state of self-satisfied lethargy and irrelevance.

Swedish home appliance maker embarks on small market for very expensive kitchens. For the rest of us: It recently began selling its Frigidaire brand at The Home Depot.

The Occupy Wall Street protest movement is expected to resume Monday, on the 1-year anniversary of the protests. Is the coalition passé and irrelevant? Or is it a canary in a coalmine - an indicator of worsening economic and social problems in the United States?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI: DJI) gained another 53.51 points, or 0.40 percent, on Friday to close at 13,593.37, the highest level in nearly five years. However, many uncertainties remain. Here are four factors that could make -- or break -- the Dow's continued ascent.

Influx of wealthy immigrants into Zug, Switzerland's richest canton, do not blend well with local residents, causing friction between the two groups. A Swiss farmer turned down $30 million, refusing to have more apartments built on his farmland.

Ron Paul's campaign against the Federal Reserve had made some headway last summer, but even Republicans who dislike the Fed's decision to start a new round of easing aren't as drastic as him in attacking the central bank

As national elections swing into high gear this fall, one thing is for sure: Politicians from both political parties will be making promises. These promises will be grand in scope, short on specifics, and, unfortunately, likely to produce unintended consequences.

Clearly, there is no debate. Based on the facts, it’s Obama who deserves all of the credit. His actions and policies saved the great State of Ohio from economic calamity.

Government-owned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which were set up to help blue-collar and middle-class workers buy their own homes at lower interest rates, are also helping the nation's one percent to purchase luxurious homes.

Asian shares rose to a four-month high Friday while the dollar remained weak against other major currencies after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced an aggressive new stimulus to drive job creation in the U.S. economy.

President Barack Obama widened his lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney to 7 percentage points in a Reuters/Ipsos poll of likely voters released Thursday, the latest survey to show him ahead.

Epainette Mbeki, mother of former South African President Thabo Mbeki and revered anti-Apartheid activist, recently criticized the country's ruling African National Congress which had pressured her son to resign in 2007. The ANC continues to have wide support in South Africa, but Mbeki stressed that its leaders needed to communicate better with the people or public unrest would increase amid the country's persistent economic disparities.

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a spirited defense Thursday of the bank's decision to launch QE3, as the central bank's third round of quantitative easing is known, amid speculation that the initiative may have been politically motivated as the presidential election nears.