WASHINGTON (AP) ― Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke may feel surrounded when he testifies before Congress this week. From his left, Democrats will demand to know what the Fed can do to create jobs, especially after the government reported last week that unemployment rose to 9.2 percent in June and the economy generated just 18,000 net new jobs. From his right, Republicans will likely questi...

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde conducts a press conference in Washington, D.C. on July 6. (AFP-Yonhap News) WASHINGTON (AP) ― The International Monetary Fund’s new chief foresees “real nasty consequences” for the U.S. and global economies if the U.S. fails to raise its borrowing limit. Christine Lagarde, the first woman to head the lending institution, said in an interview broadcast Su...

Truckers drive past stacks of transport containers at Chiwan Container Terminals, Port of Shekou in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China. (Bloomberg) Consumer prices climbed 6.4 percent, the most in three years China’s trade surplus widened more than forecast to $22.3 billion in June, the highest level in seven months, as imports grew at the slowest pace since 2009. The gap exceeded all the 21 ...