NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. employers expect to hire more new workers in 2010 than they did in 2009, a sign the U.S. recession may be easing its grip, research showed on Tuesday.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. consumer spending rose in November as incomes recorded their biggest gain in six months, but a surprise drop in new home sales to a seven-month low was a reminder that the economic recovery would be bumpy.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods excluding transportation surged in November, and applications for jobless benefits fell last week, pointing to a firmly entrenched economic recovery.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Sales of previously owned U.S. homes jumped to the highest level in nearly three years last month, the latest sign the economic recovery was gaining steam after growing below expectations in the third quarter.

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Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) — The economy in the U.S. expanded in the third quarter at a slower pace than anticipated as companies curbed spending and cut inventories at an even faster pace, reductions that have set the stage for acceleration in growth…. Read the full story here.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Factory activity in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region hit a 4-1/2 year high in December and a gauge of future economic conditions rose last month, adding to evidence of a pick-up in the pace of the economy’s recovery.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Conference Board’s gauge of future economic conditions rose in November, for its 8th straight monthly increase, boosted by improving financial conditions, employment and housing, the private research group said on Thursday.

The Leading Economic Index increased…read the full story here.

Builders broke ground on homes at a faster rate in November, the government said Wednesday, offering some hope that construction will continue to grow modestly and help stimulate the broader economy.  Home construction increased to a seasonally adjusted annually rate of 574,000, the Commerce Department said, up 8.9 percent from October. Analysts attributed the jump to unexpectedly warm and dry weather in November after an unusually cold and wet October.  Read the full story here…

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks should score a second straight year of gains in 2010 as an economic recovery brightens the profit outlook, extending the market’s rebound from the depths of a punishing financial crisis, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday.

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WASHINGTON – Signs of a strengthening global recovery emerged Friday, with consumers boosting retail sales, companies restoring stockpiles and Chinese exports mounting a comeback.

The reports heightened hopes that consumers are starting to feel more comfortable about

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