James Politi In Washington

Stories by James Politi In Washington

US consumer confidence at 5-year low

US consumer confidence at 5-year low

Rediff.com   26 Mar 2008

US consumer confidence tumbled to a five-year low in March, disappointing economists and raising fears that the American economy could be heading into a deep recession. The Conference Board's confidence index fell from 76.4 in February 64.5 this month, compared with economists' expectations of a much lighter drop to about 74, as US consumers fretted over the deteriorating labour market and higher food and energy prices.

US suffers first drop in jobs since 2003

US suffers first drop in jobs since 2003

Rediff.com   2 Feb 2008

The figure was well below the expectations of most economists, who were on average predicting a gain of about 70,000 jobs