WASHINGTON - BANKS boosted borrowing from the Federal Reserve's emergency lending program over the past week, while investment firms took a pass for the third straight week.
NEW YORK - US STOCKS ended higher in hesitant trade on Thursday as the market digested news of a third straight drop in new unemployment claims and a mixed set of sales reports from retailers.
NEW YORK - US RETAILERS reported same-store sales fell in May below expectations, as pressures like rising unemployment continued to curtail consumer spending.
NEW YORK - INTEREST rates on US 30-year fixed-rate mortgages surged 0.38 percentage point in the latest week, reaching its highest level since the week ending Dec 11, 2008, according to a survey released on Thursday by home funding company Freddie Mac.
Interest rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.29 per cent, with an average 0.7 point, for the week ending June 4, up from the previous week's 4.91 per cent, according to Freddie Mac.
