°®¶¹´«Ã½

Demand for all durable goods — items meant to last at least three years — rose 4% on aircraft and autos in March, data from the Commerce Department showed April 24.

Purchases of new homes slumped more than forecast in March from a seven-year high, a sign progress in the industry will be halting.

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits held below 300,000 for the seventh straight week, pointing to a rebound in payrolls after hiring eased last month.

Sales of previously owned homes climbed in March to the highest level since September 2013 as job growth and cheap borrowing costs helped sustain the progress in residential real estate.

Consumer confidence improved in April to the second-highest level in more than eight years as Americans held more favorable views of the economic outlook and inflation.

The cost of living in the United States, excluding food and fuel, rose 0.2% in March for a third month, signaling inflation is starting to firm.

Starts of new homes climbed 2% to a 926,000 annualized rate from a revised 908,000 in February that was the weakest in more than a year, figures from the Commerce Department showed April 16.

Fewer than 300,000 American workers filed applications for unemployment benefits for the sixth consecutive week, pointing to labor-market strength even as hiring cooled last month.

The United States keeps pumping oil at a near-record pace in spite of the collapse in prices over the past year and cutbacks in drilling.