CNBC Economy

Initial claims for jobless benefits totaled 444,000 last week, better than the 452,000 Dow Jones estimate.

Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are among Asian manufacturing economies that have reported a renewed Covid outbreak in the last few weeks.

Sky-high home prices mean demand for ever bigger mortgages, but those prices may also be causing a pullback in homebuying.

Federal Reserve officials at their April meeting said "it might be appropriate at some point" to consider tapering asset purchases.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is calling for business leaders to pay higher taxes to support government stimulus spending.

Strong buyer demand is keeping homebuilders confident, but rising construction material costs are weighing on housing affordability. 

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said he's comfortable with ultra-loose policy even as inflation gains steam.

The concentration of price pressures in a handful of categories means markets shouldn't yet be worrying about inflation after Wednesday's U.S. surprise, economists have told CNBC.

The PPI spiked 6.2% for the 12 months ended in April, the largest increase since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking the data in 2010.

There was probably less than met the eye from the startling inflation pop in April.

The recent pickup in inflation may, in fact, be a temporary — and welcome — change for those who fear a slowdown in U.S. GDP.

Total household debt balances rose by $85 billion in the first quarter, a 0.6% increase that brought the total level to $14.64 trillion.

"I'm very worried this is an unstoppable situation because the longer the Fed waits, the more they will have to raise the rates," Thomas Peterffy told CNBC.

Markets were braced for a hot consumer inflation report, but nowhere near the 4.2% headline increase reported for April.

The Consumer Price Index rise for April from a year earlier was the sharpest since September 2008.

A brief drop in mortgage interest rates sent some borrowers rushing to their lenders to see if they could get any savings.

Manufacturers are struggling to catch up with a jolt in demand amid supply crunches in components and raw materials

The number of available jobs jumped to a new high in March, even as employers sought workers to fill those posts.

Biden said his administration will distribute more coronavirus relief funds as it tries to spur hiring after a weak April jobs report.

Proprietors faced closures, space restrictions and lingering uncertainty. They're now facing a potentially crippling labor shortage as summer approaches.