Reuters - Even as companies in the auto, airline and financial sectors slash jobs in the face of a slowing economy, most U.S. and Canadian workers who escape the cost-cutting ax can expect their paychecks to get a little fatter next year.

Reuters - A weakening housing market, strained banking system and rising oil prices threaten the U.S. economy, and restoring financial market stability is a top priority, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Tuesday.

AFP - The Federal Reserve cautiously lifted its outlook for the US economy in 2008 but sees numerous risks including a potentially troublesome rise in inflation and stressed financial markets, chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday.

AFP - US retail sales slowed more than expected in June as American consumers cut back spending in the face of economic concerns and worries about the health of major banks, a government survey showed Tuesday.

Reuters - Weak retail sales and a rise in producer prices at their highest annual rate in 27 years provided further evidence of "stagflation" in the U.S. economy on Tuesday.

AP - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Tuesday the fragile economy is facing "numerous difficulties" despite the Fed's aggressive interest rate reductions and other fortifying steps.

Reuters - Discussion of persistent financial market turmoil is seen as likely to overshadow the Federal Reserve's semi-annual monetary policy outlook when Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies before Congress on Tuesday.

Reuters - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday approved new rules to ban misleading and deceptive practices in mortgage lending, including prepayment penalties for many subprime loans.

Reuters - U.S. retail sales excluding cars jumped in June and posted their biggest one-month rise in seven months, as consumers spent some of their government rebate checks, a private report released on Monday showed.

AP - The U.S. government is signaling it won't throw a lifeline to struggling financial companies — except for mortgage linchpins Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — marking a shift to a new and potentially more volatile phase of the credit crisis.