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(Reuters) - The number of Americans filing for jobless aid rose last week to the highest level since January, a development that could raise fears the labor market recovery was stalling after job creation slowed in March. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 380,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday, defying economists' expectations for a drop to 355,000. The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of labor market trends, rose 4,250 to 368,500. Some economists blamed the Easter holidays for the spike in claims and expected applications to trend lower in coming weeks. "It's very difficult to know the extent to which that's driven by seasonal effects from Easter or not," said Eric Green, chief economist ...

So far it is officially stated that the superpower is undergoing a successful moderate recovery path as attested this week by the FOMC members along with further cheerful and better-than-forecasted data released regarding the labor, manufacturing and overall business conditions along with once again well subdued prices pressures, yet other data released were mixed. If truth be told this week the FOMC minutes meeting, participants have attested once again that the overall economic conditions of the world's largest economy gained momentum within this recent period; the overall recovery tempo is on a right gradual and constant pace with better labor conditions along with a stable enhanced demand while that prices pressures remain, nevertheless rates will stay exceptionally low at least ...

Wall Street's biggest banks are locked in an increasingly frantic struggle with the Federal Reserve over the right to retain the jewels of their commodity trading empires: warehouses, storage tanks and other hard assets worth billions of dollars. While the battle over proprietary trading and new derivatives regulations has taken place largely in public view since the 2008 financial crisis, the fight by JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to retain or expand their prized physical commodity operations - most acquired in only the past six years - has remained hidden. The debate is nearing an inflection point: Within 18 months, the Fed will likely either allow banks more freedom to invest in the physical commodity world than ever; or force them to sell off the assets that many ...

Gold prices fell on Monday, extending the previous session's 2 percent price drop, as concerns over the progress of Greek bailout talks weighed on the euro and on assets seen as higher risk, such as stocks and commodities. Spot gold was down 0.5 percent at $1,716.44 an ounce at 1442 GMT, while U.S. gold futures for February delivery were down $21.10 an ounce at $1,719.20. The precious metal posted its worst daily performance of the year on Friday after better-than-expected jobs data dampened expectations of another round of U.S. monetary easing. It is still up nearly 10 percent this year, but if more signs emerge that the economy in the United States is recovering faster than the euro zone, pointing to an earlier-than-expected rise in U.S. interest rates and a stronger dollar, gold may ...

(Reuters) - Gold prices slipped in Europe on Monday, extending the previous session's 2 percent price drop, as concerns over the progress of talks on a Greek bailout weighed on the euro and on assets seen as higher risk such as stocks and commodities. Spot gold was down 0.5 percent at $1,717.90 an ounce at 5:19 a.m. ET, while U.S. gold futures for February delivery were down $19.20 an ounce at $1,721.20. The euro fell as Greek politicians struggled to agree on austerity measures needed to secure a new bailout for the debt-laden nation, keeping alive the risk of a messy default that could hurt the euro zone. "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, the relationship between gold and the euro. One day it's positive, one day it's negative. But this morning, dollar strength, or euro weakness, is ...

This week unlike the past cheerful one was mixed and mostly pessimistic as most of the data released regarding several sectors and activities of the world's leading economy came out worse than forecasted watching a fall of the country's retail sales, gloomy jobless claims and a widened trade deficit regardless of previous clear strong signs of economic enhancement and a cheerful start of a new year, still growth continues on expanding at a moderate pace. In fact this week we had the Fed's Beige Book prepared at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis was released and showed that overall economical growth expansion remained spotted and actually gained momentum and has improved this past period to accordingly spur optimism regarding the prior annual transition phase and this new year with ...

Unlike the market forecasts and despite the past strong optimism spread regarding the superpower economic health as we entered the new year today's retail sales for December along came in worse than projected and gloomier than the prior reading regardless of the holiday shopping season as cheaper fuel prices and discounts held down actually the value of goods sold while that jobless claims rose up despondently. If truth be told the world's leading economy Census Bureau, U.S Department of Commerce showed that retail sales for December plummeted to 0.1 percent; worse than the projected 0.3 percent and the prior reading of 0.2 percent and the retail sales less autos for the same month fell strongly by 0.2 percent from a prior incline of 0.2 percent well below a projected reading of 0.3 ...

The world's leading economy saw better demand and production levels throughout December and this past period mainly as a result of the enhanced holiday shopping and therefore it would not be a surprise if the retail sales have inclined as well within this same period as Americans bought more discounted holiday items for their loved ones and themselves celebrating Christmas and their holidays to accordingly boost the economy entering the new year. In fact later on today the country's Census Bureau, U.S Department of Commerce will release its retail sales data showing most probably that these retail sales rose in December to 0.3 percent from 0.2 percent and that the retail sales less autos could have also incline by 0.3 percent as well from 0.2 percent for the same month and that the retail ...

Fundamental Analysis EUR Germany's inflation rate decreased in December as European region's sovereign debt turmoil is hurting economic expansion. The inflation rate fell from 2.8% in November to 2.4% in current month. The reading matches economists' expectations. Euro area countries are facing severe spending cuts to reduce debt which hampers growth and as a result, the inflation, said Marina Luetje, Dekabank's economist. USD In US the number of people applied for unemployment benefits jumped more than expected last week. The number of residents, filing the application for jobless benefits reached 381,000, adding 15,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis. Experts predicted the figure to approach 370,000. Despite increase in claims, the figure is still below 400,000, indicating improving ...