CANNES, France — Leaders of the world’s most industrialized nations scrambled Thursday to rescue a European Union deal to restructure Greek debts and prevent a regional financial crisis from spreading and creating further global economic disruption. President Barack Obama and his European Union counterparts held closed doors meetings looking for ways to salvage last week’s marathon...

Mounting evidence that the world economy is slowing down sharply sent global stock markets spiraling down Thursday as investors brushed off the U.S. Federal Reserve's efforts to spur growth and focused instead on the central bank's gloomy outlook.Oil and other commodities tumbled, too, in the face of several signs that economies are shifting into reverse: the Fed's assessment of the U.S. economy i...

Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday as investors fearful of a debt implosion in Europe held onto hopes that the Federal Reserve will announce measures to jolt the U.S. economy.Japan's Nikkei 225 index was marginally higher at 8,721.98 after the Finance Ministry released trade data showing the country's exports rose for the first time in six months. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.4 percent to 1,845.09....

Consumers grew more cautious last month amid wild stock market swings, zero job growth and heightened concerns that the economy has weakened. Retail sales were flat in August. At the same time, wholesale inflation leveled off. The latest data could give the Federal Reserve more impetus to adopt additional stimulus next week. “The combination of those two reports sets the stage for, and war...

Asian stock markets rose Thursday after a late-day surge on Wall Street, while the resignation of Steve Jobs - the force behind Apple Inc. - sent ripples through the technology sector.Oil prices hovered above $85 a barrel in Asia. The dollar rose against the euro but dropped against the yen.Asian markets got a boost from U.S. data showing a surge in demand for cars and planes in July that offered ...

Seeking to jolt the economy, President Barack Obama will propose new ideas to create jobs and help the struggling poor and middle class in a major speech after Labor Day. And then he will try to seize political advantage by spending the fall pressuring Congress to act on his plan.Obama's plan is likely to contain a mix of tax cuts, jobs-boosting construction projects and steps to help the long-ter...

As Bank of America Corp.’s stock has tumbled and clawed back in recent days, city leaders, business owners and others with a stake in the company are waiting to see what happens next.The stock market swings have delivered a familiar feeling of anxiety to a city pummeled by the financial crisis. Local leaders and business owners say they aren’t as fearful this time. But they acknowled...

U.S. stock futures rose Tuesday, but only after swinging wildly in overnight trading following the worst day for stocks since 2008.The Federal Reserve plans to meet Tuesday on interest-rate policy. The central bank already has kept its key interest rate at a record low of nearly zero since 2008. It has also pledged to keep rates low "for an extended period."European strategists said speculation ab...

Like many people, the South Carolina Transportation Department is having trouble paying all of its bills on time.The Post and Courier of Charleston reported Tuesday contractors are being paid 45 days after they finish projects, rather than the usual one-month lag.The newspaper also reported ( http://bit.ly/nw7b8h) that the agency is taking more than two months to repay loans to the South Carolina ...

WASHINGTON — After a spate of bad economic news and a 10-day pounding of stock prices, Friday’s jobs report is likely to play an outsized role in either calming the waters or deepening fears that the U.S. economy is sliding back toward recession. Stocks plummeted Thursday as investors fretted about weakening economic conditions and emergency steps announced by the European Central Bank...

The bin Laden rally lasted all of three hours. Stocks began climbing Monday morning after news of the death of the world’s most wanted terrorist. Strong earnings reports from Humana Inc. and other companies also pushed them higher. But by lunchtime, the gains were gone. The major indexes wavered throughout the remainder of the day and closed slightly lower. “As great as the news is,...

As more Midlands homeowners struggle in a lingering brutal economy, foreclosure sales becoming more common.And now real estate agents are seeking training to deal with what has become a standard part of the market – from short sales, in which lenders accept less than the amount owed, to bank-owned homes.“This is an area you have to have expertise in,” said Columbia’s Jeff W...

The sale of Carolina First will hit the piggy banks of shareholders and taxpayers — but it’s better than the largest bank based in South Carolina closing, experts said Monday.In a deal analysts said could become more routine in the stressed economy, Toronto-Dominion Bank of Canada is buying Carolina First for a fraction of its going stock price and repaying a little more than one-third...

A Federal Reserve executive takes a look into the future during a meeting on the South Carolina coast.Matthew Martin, senior vice president and Charlotte regional executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, offers his outlook for the federal and state economies in North Charleston on Wednesday.Also speaking are Mary Graham, a senior vice president of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce...