AFP - The dollar slumped while the euro sprang higher Thursday after data showing Germany and France emerged from recession in the second quarter, and US data showing ongoing weakness.

AP - A bleak report on retail sales Thursday reinforced a nagging worry of economists: Shoppers won't spend enough to help a recovery take hold.

Reuters - The U.S. Federal Reserve has ordered CIT Group Inc , the cash-strapped corporate lender struggling to avoid bankruptcy, to submit a plan for raising capital and meeting debt obligations within 15 days.

Reuters - Americans shopped less in July and more signed up for jobless benefits last week in a double dose of bad news for the U.S. economy just a day after the Federal Reserve said it saw a leveling out of the slump.

AFP - The highest-paid US chief executive collected 702.4 million dollars in compensation in 2008 as the recession deepened, a report by a shareholder rights organization showed Thursday.

AP - Government programs to support the auto industry helped Germany and France return to economic growth in the second quarter, rebounds that stoked hopes the recession in the wider 16-country euro area may also end sooner than thought.

AFP - US retail sales unexpectedly dipped 0.1 percent in July, government data showed Thursday in a report highlighting weakness in consumer demand that is crucial for recovery from recession.

AP - Retail sales outside of autos turned in a disappointing performance in July, underscoring concerns about the timing and durability of a recovery from the worst recession since World War II.

AFP - New US jobless claims rose by 4,000 in the past week to 558,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday in a weaker-than-expected snapshot of current labor conditions.

Reuters - Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in July from June, a government report showed on Thursday, casting a shadow over an anticipated rebound in consumer spending in the third quarter.

Reuters - U.S. home loans failed at a record pace in July despite ongoing federal and state programs to avoid foreclosures, which have severely strained housing and the economy.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets advanced on Thursday, with London reaching a 10-month high, after a positive outlook for the US economy and data showing an end to recession in Germany and France.

AP - The Federal Reserve delivered a vote of confidence in the economy Wednesday, saying it would slow the pace of an emergency rescue program and indicating the recession appears to be ending.