AP - Housing construction, which hit a six-month high in January, likely slipped in February, reflecting in part the major snowstorms that hit many parts of the country. The housing industry in good times is a major generator of jobs and economic growth. -- read full article
AP - German investor confidence slipped for the sixth month in a row in March as expectations settled for a slow recovery in the next half-year, a closely watched survey showed Tuesday. -- read full article
AFP - European stock markets advanced Tuesday after overnight gains on Wall Street, with investors awaiting the latest Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting and another crucial Brussels meeting on Greece.
Reuters - Housing starts and permits to build new homes both fell in February as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, a government report showed on Tuesday.
AP - The dollar slipped Tuesday against key currencies before the Federal Reserve's expected mid-afternoon announcement on U.S. interest rates. -- read full article
AP - Oil prices climbed back to near $82 on Tuesday as fresh housing data calmed investor concerns over the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates.
AP - Housing construction fell in February as winter blizzards held down activity in the Northeast and South. The decline highlighted the challenges facing builders as they struggle to emerge from the worst housing slump in decades.
Reuters - U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms disrupted construction and another drop in building permits suggested the weakness would linger.
AFP - US Federal Reserve policy makers held a meeting Tuesday widely expected to keep interest rates at record lows as financial markets looked for signals of future monetary policy tightening.
AFP - US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday warned jobless Americans they face a torrid year ahead, predicting continued high unemployment levels despite advances "sometime this spring."
AP - General Electric Co. says it will increase its dividend in 2011, two years after the industrial and commercial conglomerate reduced it to save money as its financial arm struggled in the recession. -- read full article
AFP - The Federal Reserve on Tuesday maintained its near zero benchmark interest rate, saying it expects to hold the "exceptionally low" rate "for an extended period."
AP - A comparison of the Federal Reserve's statement on the economy and its policy positions from its last meeting on Jan. 26-27 and the meeting Tuesday. -- read full article
