Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON — Business inventories rose less than economists expected in November, expanding 0.2%, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON — Industrial production posted its largest gain in five months in December, increasing 0.8% as unusually cold weather led to a surge in utility output, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

WASHINGTON — Retail sales rose 0.6% in December, but fell short of economic estimates, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON – Business inventories increased 0.2% in November, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Industrial production increased 0.8% in December, the largest gain since July, as unusually cold weather led to a surge in utilities output, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Retail sales increased 0.6% in December, below economists’ estimates, as retail sales for all of 2010 increased by the largest amount in 11 years, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. international trade deficit narrowed for the third consecutive month in November, shrinking $100 million to a 10-month low of $38.3 billion, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell touted his $4 billion transportation spending plan ­Wednesday during a state of the commonwealth speech in which the Republican reaffirmed his intention to privatize state liquor stores and proposed a state employee contribution plan to ­reduce the retirement pension ­liability.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. international trade deficit declined by $100 million to $38.3 billion in November, the third consecutive deficit decline and the smallest deficit since January, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week on a rule change that could affect the state’s plan to issue $1.1 billion of grant anticipation vehicle revenue bonds. The provision could allow lawmakers to divert transportation funds to other spending projects.

WASHINGTON — The economy continued to improve in the final two months of 2010, with all 12 Federal Reserve districts reporting some improvements in manufacturing and retail, the Fed reported Wednesday in its “beige book,” an anecdotal compilation of economic activity.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. recorded a smaller-than-expected December deficit of $80 billion, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Import prices rose 1.1% in December as fuel costs increased, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - The economy continued to improve in the final two months of 2010 as all 12 Federal Reserve districts reported some improvements in manufacturing and retail, the Fed reported Wednesday in its Beige Book – an anecdotal compilation of economic activity.

WASHINGTON - Import prices rose 1.1% in December as fuel costs increased, the Labor Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories unexpectedly declined 0.2% in November to post their first drop in 11 months, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories unexpectedly declined 0.2% in November, the first drop in inventories in 11 months, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

The Internal Revenue Service ­withheld $707,757, or 15%, of the District of Columbia’s Dec. 1 Build America Bond subsidy payment because of payroll taxes, making the city the latest issuer caught by surprise with an offset.

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia’s chief financial officer warned the city’s new leaders against writing a fiscal 2012 budget that draws on the general fund balance to pay for operations, saying that balancing the budget in this manner for the fifth straight year could threaten the district’s credit rating and reputation with bond ­investors.

WASHINGTON — Nonfarm payrolls rose less than economists expected in December, expanding by 103,000 workers as the unemployment rate dropped to a 19-month low, the Labor Department reported Friday.