Government And Institutions

G20 Leaders: No Hard Targets on Debt Reduction

Finance leaders of the G20 economies Friday edged away from a drive toward government austerity in rich nations, rejecting hard targets for reducing national debt in a sign of worry over a sluggish global recovery.

Jobless Claims Inched Higher Last Week

New claims for unemployment benefits rose to 352,000 last week from 348,000 the week prior. Claims were expected to increase to 350,000 from an initially-reported 346,000.

Business Inventories Up Less than Expected

Business inventories rose less than expected, suggesting restocking of warehouses could give a smaller boost to economic growth in the first quarter than analysts had forecast.

The Golden State's Fracking Pot of Gold

A new report now says fracking could create anywhere from half a million new jobs in California by 2015, even 2.5 million jobs by 2020, plus a bundle in the way of state tax revenue.

Apple Files Arguments in Court Opposing FBI iPhone Request

Apple Inc submitted a legal brief on Thursday opposing the U.S. government's attempt to force the technology company to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, one day before the filing deadline.

U.S. Files Motion to Force Apple to Obey iPhone Order

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a motion seeking to compel Apple Inc to comply with a judge's order for the company to unlock the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, according to a court document filed Friday.

ECB President Mario Drahgi: Central Bank Ready to Act

The European Central Bank is ready to ease policy in March if the financial market turmoil or the pass-through effect of low energy prices reduces inflation expectations, President Mario Draghi said on Monday.

IRS Computer Failure Shuts E-Filing

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service said on Wednesday it is experiencing computer failure across several systems and temporarily cannot accept many taxpayer returns.