Labor/Economy

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 24 states and the District of Columbia suffered unemployment rate increases in August compared with July, while 15 states had decreases, and 11 experienced no change.

The Census Bureau reported that private housing starts in August came in at an annualized rate of 956,000 units, a drop of 14.4 percent compared with July, when the rate was more than 1.11 million units.

The Federal Reserve’s unprecedented stimulus of the economy, sometimes known by the shorthand QE3, seems to be on its last legs.

The U.S. official poverty rate in 2013 was 14.5 percent, down from 15 percent in 2012, the Census Bureau reported.

The Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released its latest forecasts for economic growth in various parts of the world, revising them downward in some cases, especially for the euro zone.

Americans had an itch to buy more in August, according to the Census Bureau.

In its Oil Market Report for September, the International Energy Agency has lowered its forecast for global oil demand for the third month running.

In testimony before the Senate Banking Committee this week, Daniel Tarullo, a member of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, said that the central bank wants to change regulations governing too-big-to-fail banks (or GSIBs, global systemically important banks, in Fed-speak).