Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON — Business inventories fell 1.5% in August, more than economists had expected, the Commerce Department reported yesterday. Business sales increased 1.0%.

WASHINGTON — Import prices edged higher in September increasing 0.1% as rising prices for goods offset a decline in fuel prices, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

The Lexington County School District No. 4 expects to competitively sell $9.75 million of general obligation new-money debt today.

WASHINGTON – Business inventories fell 1.5% in August, more than economists expected, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON — Import prices edged higher in September increasing 0.1% as rising prices for goods offset a decline in fuel prices, the Labor Department reported today.

The international trade balance unexpectedly shrank in August by 3.6% to a $30.7 billion deficit as petroleum imports declined to the lowest dollar amount in almost 10 years, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Municipal bond sales are expected to be slightly lower during this holiday-shortened Columbus Day week, with an estimated $8.32 billion of new volume hitting the market, according to Ipreo LLC and The Bond Buyer. Last week, $8.42 billion of bonds came to market, according to Thomson Reuters.

The international trade balance unexpectedly shrank in August by 3.6% to a $30.7 billion deficit as petroleum imports declined to the lowest dollar amount in almost 10 years, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON — The trustee for millions of dollars of toll revenue bonds issued in 1998 to finance South Carolina’s first publicly owned and privately built toll road, the Southern Connector Project, is warning investors that the bonds will probably default on Jan. 1, 2010, because of insufficient revenue.

U.S. wholesale inventories fell 1.3% in August as sales increased 1.0%, aided by the largest increase in wholesale auto sales in 10 years, the Commerce Department said yesterday.

Initial jobless claims decreased by 33,000 to 521,000 in the week ending Oct. 3, putting claims at their lowest level since Jan. 3, the Labor Department reported yesterday.

WASHINGTON — U.S. wholesale inventories fell 1.3% in August as sales increased 1.0% aided by the largest increase in wholesale auto sales in 10 years, the Commerce Department reported today.

WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims decreased by 33,000 to 521,000 in the week ending Oct. 3, putting claims at their lowest level since January 3, the Labor Department reported today.

Consumer borrowing decreased by $12 billion in August, or 5.8% at an annual rate, to a seasonally adjusted $2.46 trillion from $2.47 trillion in July, the Federal Reserve reported yesterday. Credit has now fallen for seven straight months.

Consumer borrowing decreased by $12 billion in August, or by 5.8% at an annual rate, to a seasonally adjusted $2.46 trillion from $2.47 trillion in July, the Federal Reserve reported today.

WASHINGTON — Virginia expects to sell competitively tomorrow $328 million of new-money and refunding general obligation bonds, which could include the first Build America Bonds issued by the state.

In their first decline since March, new factory orders for manufactured goods unexpectedly fell 0.8% in August, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Employers shed 263,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in September, well above economists’ estimates, as the unemployment rate increased to 9.8%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Prince George’s County has maintained its AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s as it faces a lawsuit from union workers who have challenged mandatory furloughs imposed to cut costs.

WASHINGTON — New factory orders for manufactured goods unexpectedly declined 0.8% in August, the Commerce Department reported today.