US Economy
  • Wall Street sees sense in Facebook's $19 billion WhatsApp buy

    Wall Street sees sense in Facebook's $19 billion WhatsApp buy

    By Soham Chatterjee and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Reuters

    (Reuters) - Facebook Inc's purchase of fast-growing messaging startup WhatsApp for an eye-popping $19 billion largely won approval from analysts, who said the deal made strategic sense as it will...

  • Jobless claims fall, weather clouds factory picture

    Jobless claims fall, weather clouds factory picture

    By Lucia Mutikani, Reuters

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, suggesting the labor market continues to steadily improve despite severe weather that could...

  • Poor turnout in Libyan vote for constitution-drafting body

    Poor turnout in Libyan vote for constitution-drafting body

    By Ulf Laessing and Ghaith Shennib, Reuters

    TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyans trickled to the polls on Thursday to elect an assembly to draft a constitution, with the paltry turnout reflecting deep political disillusion with the chaos pervading...

  • Wal-Mart forecast disappoints as grocery business struggles

    Wal-Mart forecast disappoints as grocery business struggles

    By Phil Wahba, Reuters

    (Reuters) - The struggles of the low-income U.S. consumer are playing out in Wal-Mart Stores Inc's grocery aisles. The world's largest retailer, which gets more than half its sales from groceries, on...

  • World economic recovery struggling to gain traction

    World economic recovery struggling to gain traction

    By Jonathan Cable and Adam Rose, Reuters

    LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - China's vast factory sector contracted again this month and the expected acceleration in euro zone business activity failed to materialize, highlighting the fragile state...