Patrick Temple-West

WASHINGTON — Industrial production rose 1.0% in July and industrial capacity utilization increased to 74.8% as greater auto production kept factories humming, the Federal Reserve reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON - Industrial production increased 1.0% in July as auto and parts production jumped, while industrial capacity utilization increased to 74.8% in July, the 13th consecutive month without a decline, the Federal Reserve reported today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. housing starts increased to 546,000 at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in July as building permits fell to 565,000, the Commerce Department reported today.

North Carolina Tuesday expects to competitively price $494.6 million of general obligation refunding bonds, taking advantage of record-low tax-exempt interest rates to exit interest-rate swaps.

WASHINGTON — The South Carolina Department of Transportation is challenging the Connector 2000 Association Inc.’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing, delaying efforts to restructure $369 million of the agency’s toll road bonds that went into default at the beginning of the year.

WASHINGTON — Business inventories increased 0.3% in June, following a revised 0.2% increase in May, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Business sales fell 0.6% in June following a 1.2% decline in May.

WASHINGTON — Consumer prices increased 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted annual rate in July, the largest increase in 11 months, driven by an increase in energy costs, the Labor Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON – Business inventories increased 0.3% in June, following a revised 0.2% increase in May, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

WASHINGTON - Consumer prices increased 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted annual rate in July, the largest increase in 11 months, driven by an increase in energy costs, the Labor Department reported today.

WASHINGTON — Due to higher fuel costs, import prices rose 0.2% in July to post their first increase in three months, the Labor Department said Thursday. Export prices fell 0.2%.

WASHINGTON — New jobless claims unexpectedly rose 2,000 to 484,000 the week ending Aug. 7, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON — Import prices increased 0.2% in July, the first increase in three months, as fuel imports increased, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

WASHINGTON – Initial jobless claims increased by 2,000 to 484,000 for the week ending Aug. 7, a level above economists' estimates and the highest total since February, the Labor Department reported today.

WASHINGTON — The federal government posted a $165 billion deficit in July, the largest gap since February, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly surged to $49.9 billion in June, the highest level since October 2008, as exports declined and imports increased, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON – The federal government posted a $165.0 billion deficit in July, the largest monthly deficit since February, the Treasury Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. trade deficit surged by a record dollar amount to $49.9 billion in June, the highest level since October 2008, as exports declined and imports increased, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Wholesale inventories increased 0.1% in June as wholesale sales declined for the second month in a row, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — U.S. nonfarm productivity unexpectedly fell 0.9% in the second quarter to post its first decline in six quarters, the Labor Department reported Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Open Market Committee downgraded its outlook for economic growth Tuesday and decided to maintain the federal funds target rate in a range between zero and 25 basis points.