Economy

"The available evidence suggests" that the yuan "remains significantly undervalued," according to a new administration report. 

First-time applications for unemployment benefits plummeted last week, a signal that the slow job growth in March may be temporary. 

Weekly claims fell 42,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 346,000 hitting a four-month high last week after three weeks of gains, the Labor Department reported on Thursday. 

The four-week average, a less volatile gauge of the labor market's trajectory, was up slightly by 3,000 to 358,000.

An accidental early release of Fed minutes sparks concern.

Major Wall Street banks, government agencies and industry groups got the sneak peek.

Gold's reputation as the safest of investments is getting tarnished.

President Obama asks Congress to dig deeper for IMF funding in budget.

The president will huddle with the heads of major Wall Street banks today.

Big banks dive into the prepaid card market.

Some members of the Fed’s policy board are getting antsy about the bank's swelling balance sheet.

Small-business optimism dimmed in March after three months of gains, reflecting uncertainty about fiscal policies that are hampering the nation's economic growth. 

A gauge measuring how small firms are feeling about economic conditions fell to 89.5, slightly below the 90.7 average since the recession officially ended in June 2009, according to the National Federation of Independent Business' (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index released on Tuesday. 

"After another false start, small-business confidence has sputtered and stalled again," said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg.

"Virtually no owners think the current period is a good time to expand, because they simply don’t know what the future holds," he said. 

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew urged European leaders on Monday to pull back on debt-reduction polices and focus on growth measures to help bolster their economies weakened by a prolonged financial crisis. 

Lew, who is on a two-day swing through the region to meet with several top finance leaders, emphasized the important of the relationship between the United States and the European inion to not only each other but to the stability of the global economy. 

"The European economies face a high level of debt, deep structural medium-term challenges and short-term economic headwinds that we need to confront," Lew said during a joint press conference after meeting with EU Council President Herman Van Rompuy. "There is no room for complacency."

President Obama will offer a budget this week that is expected to include $600 billion in new tax hikes and calls for entitlement cuts.

The long-delayed White House budget will arrive on Capitol Hill months late — and after the House and Senate approved their own budget blueprints.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will testify at hearings on Thursday with the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees. He may also get some questions about his two-day swing through Europe, where he is set to discuss the EU financial crisis.

Jeff Zients, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), will testify Thursday before the Senate Budget panel on the president’s proposal. The House Budget Committee will also explore the president’s proposal with Zients on Thursday.

Democrats said the drag on the economy would only grow worse in the coming months as more cuts are implemented.

The job growth was far below expectations and will trigger new doubts about the strength of the economy. 

A majority of small businesses say the healthcare law is their biggest concern, finally eclipsing their long-held worry over economic uncertainty. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s latest quarterly small-business survey finds that 77 percent say the Affordable Care Act will make coverage for their employees more expensive, while 71 percent say it will be harder to hire more employees under the law. 

Of those surveyed, 79 of small businesses believe the economy is on the wrong track. 

“While the general trends of the economy appear to be improving, a closer look shows workforce participation still falling and full-time employment still historically low,” said Dr. Martin Regalia, the Chamber’s chief economist said on Thursday.