Dennis Moore

WASHINGTON — The consumer price index rose 0.4% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department reported Friday, as energy costs continued to dominate.

WASHINGTON - Consumer prices rose 0.4% in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department reported Friday, as energy costs continued to dominate the index.

WASHINGTON — The producer price index rose 0.8% in April, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — There were 434,000 initial claims for unemployment insurance in the week ending May 7, according to a report from the Labor Department on Thursday.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury will hit the statutory federal debt ceiling on Monday when its three-year and 10-year notes settle.

WASHINGTON — Prospects look dim for U.S. airports to obtain the authority to charge higher passenger facility charges, which would generate more revenue to back bond issues.

WASHINGTON - There were 434,000 initial claims for unemployment insurance in the week ending May 7, according to a report from the Labor Department Thursday.

WASHINGTON - Producer prices rose 0.8% in April, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Core prices, which exclude food and energy goods, rose 0.3%.

Senate Commerce Committee chairman Jay Rockefeller D-W.Va., introduced a bill Wednesday that would create a national infrastructure bank and fund it with $10 billion over two fiscal years.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. international trade deficit rose to $48.2 billion in March, from a revised $45.4 billion in February.

WASHINGTON – The federal government posted a $40.5 billion budget deficit in April, the smallest monthly deficit since September, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. international trade deficit rose to $48.2 billion in March, from a revised $45.4 billion in February. Imports and exports both rose, but the continuing boom of oil prices and a major increase in the quantity of imported oil inflated the imports figure.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories were up 1.1% in March as wholesale sales rose 2.9%, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Import prices rose 2.2% in April, as prices in the first quarter rose 6.7%, marking their largest gain since 2008, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories were up 1.1% in March as wholesale sales rose 2.9% the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON – Import prices rose 2.2% in April, as prices in the first quarter rose 6.7%, their largest gain since 2008, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation redirected high-speed rail funds originally intended for Florida on Monday, announcing $2 billion of grants to 15 states and Amtrak for 22 projects.

WASHINGTON — U.S. employment conditions improved in April, as the number of non-farm jobs increased by 244,000 after a gain of 221,000 in March. The unemployment rate rose to 9.0%, as labor force growth slowed and the number of jobless rose.

WASHINGTON - U.S. employment conditions improved in April, as the number of non-farm jobs increased by 244,000 after a gain of 221,000 jobs in March. The unemployment rate rose to 9.0%, as labor force growth slowed and the number of unemployed rose.

WASHINGTON — U.S. non-farm productivity rose 1.6% in the first quarter of 2011, according to the Labor Department’s first estimate released Thursday after a revised 2.9% gain for the fourth quarter of 2010.