Global Economy

U.S. Builders Put Hiring In High Gear

Charles Cork is gearing up to do something he hasn't done in four years: Build a $1 million house "on spec." "I don't think getting a client for this one will be too much trouble," said Cork, ...

Fitch Cuts Italy Credit Rating

Ratings agency Fitch added to Italy's mounting problems on Friday by cutting its credit rating due to the political uncertainty after last week's election, deep recession and rising debt. Fitch ...

U.S. Service Sector Grows At Fastest Pace In A Year

The pace of growth in the vast U.S. services sector accelerated to its fastest pace in a year in February, helped by a rise in new orders and demand for exports, an industry report showed on Tuesday. ...

Spain Sees EU Flexibility On Budget Deficit Goals

Spain joined France on Tuesday in pleading for more time to reduce its budget deficit, saying it believed the European Commission was warming to the idea to avoid deepening the country's recession. ...

U.S. Republicans Move To Avoid Government Shutdown

Congressional Republicans announced a plan on Monday to avoid a government shutdown later this month, seeking to calm the waters after months of budget fights that ended in a failure last week to ...