Economy/Ecommerce

Light peeks through in the job market; U.S. exports are at an all-time high; and oil and commodities continue to slide.

The National Association of Realtors has its own melancholy home-price numbers to report; small-business owners are pessimistic about the future; and freshman members of Congress are frustrating those who have seen us approach a debt ceiling before.

Zillow reports that home values were down 3 percent in the first quarter; April’s Conference Board index points to negative employment indicators; and congressional leaders ram heads over the debt ceiling.

The economy added 244,000 jobs in April; a commodity price index drops steeply; and consumer credit expands.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report on hiring turned out better than expected; retailers reported strong sales in April; and a few commodities showed symptoms associated with bubbles popping.

The ADP unemployment numbers are out for March; Freddie Mac reports its first quarterly profit since 2009; and Finland’s new government shows resistance to an E.U. bailout of Portugal.

The U.S. government is taking Deutsche Bank AG to court over bum loans; a nonpartisan report finds several factors that contributed to the enormous U.S. debt; and a Chinese property bubble may be further inflating.

U.S. construction spending rose more than expected during March; the federal government has a few months left before defaulting on its debt; and bin Laden’s death has a brief effect on oil markets.

Personal income and outlays were both up in March; banks continue to meet their doom; and Donald Trump continues his run of spectacle in the spotlight.