The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the economy added 175,000 jobs last month, edging out analyst expectations. The unemployment rate ticked up to 7.6 percent.
One way to evaluate the health of an economy is to look at the jobs picture, which looks pretty rosy so far this spring. But there’s another sign to keep any eye on: the availability of credit.
U.S. personal income and consumer spending increased by 0.2 percent in March. Julia Coronado, chief economist with the investment bank BNP Paribas, discusses the numbers and what they mean for the economy.
European markets are down significantly, and that's being blamed on elections over the weekend in France that increase the likelihood that Conservative President Nicholas Sarkozy will lose his job.
After news that Sony is cutting 6 percent of its workforce and that the U.S. economy only added 120,000 jobs last month, the future doesn't look bright — but a bigger picture shows it's all just part of a slow recovery.
The beauty and fragrance company Coty went public with its offer to buy rival Avon for about $10 billion — that's an offer Avon so far has rejected. And Express Scripts and Medco — two companies that process prescriptions at the drug store — have gotten federal approval for their merger.
