The pace of growth in the U.S. services sector accelerated in July, picking up from a three-year low as new orders surged to their highest level in five months, an industry report showed on Monday.
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Consumer sentiment waned slightly in early July, as Americans were more optimistic about current economic conditions than they have been in six years, but that was offset by a decline in confidence over the recovery's prospects, a survey released on Friday showed.
A jump in job cuts in the computer and education sectors drove an increase in layoffs at U.S. firms in June, even as the pace of downsizing in the first half of the year improved overall, a report on Wednesday showed.
Homebuilder sentiment jumped in June, rising above a key milestone for the first time since the start of the housing crisis in a vote of confidence for the sector's recovery, data from the National Association of Home Builders showed on Monday.
The manufacturing sector contracted in May, driving activity to the lowest level in nearly four years, in the latest sign the economy is encountering a soft patch.
Worries the Federal Reserve may begin to slow its stimulus efforts sent U.S. mortgage rates last week to their highest level in a year, drying up demand for home refinancings, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.
Home prices accelerated by the most in nearly seven years in March while consumer confidence surged in May, suggesting there were areas of resilience for an economy that is facing the pinch of belt-tightening in Washington.
Consumer confidence strengthened in May to the highest level in more than five years, suggesting Americans' attitudes were resilient in the face of belt-tightening in Washington, a private sector report showed on Tuesday.
Stocks were modestly lower on Monday as investors fretted about the impact of slower global growth on corporate revenues, offsetting earnings that beat expectations.
U.S. companies added more jobs than expected in September, while activity in the vast services sector picked up, suggesting the economy remained on track for modest growth.
