A tax deal between the British government and Goldman Sachs worth up to 20 million pounds (US$30 million) to the U.S. bank was lawful but “not a glorious episode” for the tax authority, a judge ruled on Thursday.

U.S. builders broke ground on far fewer homes in April, one month after topping the 1 million mark for the first time since 2008. But applications for new construction reached a five-year peak, evidence that the housing revival will be sustained.

Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan made a values pitch to voters Tuesday as he unveiled an AU$43 billion (US$43 billion) austerity drive in a budget without election-year trimmings.

U.S. retail sales unexpectedly rose in April as households bought automobiles, building materials and a range of other goods, pointing to underlying strength in the economy.

Boeing will shed 1,500 information technology positions in Washington state's Puget Sound region in the next three years, the company plans to announce Monday.

Financial data and news company Bloomberg LP says it has corrected a “mistake” in its newsgathering policies and cut off its journalists' special access to client log-in activity on the company's ubiquitous trading information terminals after Goldman Sachs complained about the matter last month.

Barack Obama ditched the “doom and gloom” of Washington Thursday to seek out dynamic job-creating hotspots of the U.S. economy, which remains broadly sluggish four years into his presidency.

Americans spent more during the early spring months in the latest sign that they're encouraged by the economic recovery.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to its lowest level in nearly 5-1/2 years last week, signaling labor market resilience in the face of fiscal austerity.

News Corp. beat Wall Street's forecast for the January-March quarter, helped by growing revenue from pay TV networks including Fox News Channel and FX, and the hit 20th Century Fox movie “Life of Pi.”