Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON - Retail sales increased 0.8% in November as sales excluding autos jumped 1.2%, the strongest gain since March, the Commerce Department reported.

State and local budget challenges will put pressure on municipal credits and will drag overall economic growth next year, according to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s semiannual economic projections released Monday.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. international trade deficit shrank more than expected in October, falling $5.9 billion to a three-month-low of $38.7 billion as exports of services hit a record and imports fell, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON – The government posted a $150.4 billion in November, the largest monthly deficit since July, the Treasury Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. international trade deficit declined by $5.9 billion to $38.7 billion in October, the lowest deficit since July, as exports of services jumped to a record and imports fell, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON — The Capital Beltway Funding Corporation of Virginia, the issuer for $589 million for the Capital Beltway expansion project, on Monday will sell refunding bonds to convert its debt to tax-exempt bonds not subject to the alternative minimum tax, taking advantage of the stimulus law provision ­before it expires at the end of the year.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories and sales jumped in October, increasing 1.9% and 2.2%, respectively, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Initial jobless claims dropped by 17,000 to 421,000 for the week ending Dec. 4, as the four-week moving average for new filings declined for the fifth straight week, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories and sales jumped in October, increasing 1.9% and 2.2% respectively, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims dropped by 17,000 to 421,000 for the week ending Dec. 4, as the four-week moving average for claims dropped for the fifth week in a row, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

The Virginia-based Upper Occoquan Sewage Authority expects to competitively sell $84.7 million of revenue bonds on Tuesday for an expansion project to comply with Chesapeake Bay restoration requirements.

The Spartanburg Regional Health System was downgraded last week to A-plus from AA-minus by Fitch Ratings as a new facility has failed to fill beds as anticipated.

WASHINGTON – Consumer credit increased in October by $3.3 billion, or 1.7%, the largest increase in more than two years, the Federal Reserve reported today.

WASHINGTON — The South Carolina Public Service Authority, the state’s largest issuer in 2009, expects to sell $300 million of Build America Bonds Tuesday for a nuclear power plant expansion, as the agency continues a transition away from coal power.

WASHINGTON — Factory orders fell 0.9% at a seasonally adjusted rate in October, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Orders excluding transportation slipped 0.2% for the month.

WASHINGTON — Total nonfarm payrolls expanded more slowly in November than expected, rising by 39,000 jobs as the unemployment rate climbed to 9.8%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Factory orders fell 0.9% at a seasonally adjusted rate in October, the first decline since June, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Total nonfarm payrolls increased 39,000, while private payrolls added a disappointing 50,000 jobs in November, well below economists' estimates, as the unemployment rate increased to 9.8%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON — Initial jobless claims increased more than economists estimated the week ending Nov. 27 as they jumped by 26,000 new filings to 436,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON - Initial jobless claims increased 26,000 to 436,000 in the week ending November 27 and continuing claims increased for the first time in six weeks, the Labor Department reported Thursday.