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Consumer personal spending rose in February for the second consecutive month, the Commerce Department said Friday.

China passed the United States last year to become the world’s second largest auto-producing nation behind Japan, according to a California research firm.

President Obama declared North Dakota a federal disaster area as floods from a big spring blizzard caused widespread road closures, and surrounding states to the south and west closed roads due to flooding and high winds, the Associated Press reported.

The U.S. economy contracted at an annual rate of  6.3% rate in the fourth quarter, marking the biggest contraction since 1982, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Air and ocean freight forwarder UTi Worldwide lost $89.8 million, or 89 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $18 million, or 18 cents per share, a year ago.

Trailer Bridge Inc. said late Wednesday it took a loss in both the fourth quarter of 2008 and the year as a whole.

Initial jobless claims rose 8,000 last week to 652,000, while the number of people receiving continuing benefits rose to a record, the Labor Department said Thursday.

A House bill would freeze the truck size and weight limits of 53 feet for trailers and 80,000 pounds for the entire national highway system.

New home sales rose 4.7% in February after bottoming out in January at the lowest rate on record, the Commerce Department said Wednesday.