Reuters - U.S. housing starts slid 3.3 percent in May to their lowest level in more than 17 years, while permits for future construction also fell, signaling more weakness ahead for the battered U.S. housing sector.

Reuters - Ford Motor Co plans to close a Michigan plant that builds large sport utility vehicles for nine weeks as demand for the vehicles has declined amid record high U.S. gas prices.

AFP - US housing starts slid 3.3 percent in May to the slowest pace in 17 years amid a prolonged slump in the real-estate sector, government data showed Tuesday.

Reuters - Soaring energy costs pushed U.S. producer prices up sharply last month and housing starts fell to 17-year low, according to data on Tuesday that spotlighted the Federal Reserve's dilemma of tackling weak growth amid high inflation.

Reuters - U.S. technology stocks rose on Monday for the third straight session, fueled by optimism about sales for Research in Motion's BlackBerry and Apple's new iPhone.

AP - Crude oil futures swung wildly on Monday, rising to a record and then tumbling as investors wrestled with whether they should put stock in Saudi Arabia's promise to boost production. Retail gas prices rose to a record $4.08 a gallon.

Reuters - Policy-makers around the globe declared soaring inflation a top threat on Monday, with pressure rising for central banks to raise interest rates amid protests against higher costs of living.

AP - Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and other boldfaced names among the dead have something in common with living Americans in these hard financial times:

Reuters - Record-high crude oil costs sent wholesale inflation soaring in May, but a key gauge of underlying price pressures likely moved ahead at a slower pace than the month before, according to a Reuters poll.

Reuters - The Dow briefly turned positive on Monday and the Nasdaq rose more than 1 percent as oil prices reversed an earlier climb, providing investors with some comfort following data that revived concerns about the economy.