AP - Canada's unemployment rate has slipped to 8.2 percent as the economy gained 21,000 jobs.

Reuters - Sales at U.S. retailers rose unexpectedly in February despite a drop in vehicle purchases and inclement weather that was expected to curtail shopping, bolstering hopes of a sustainable economic recovery.

Reuters - U.S. consumer sentiment declined slightly in early March, with Americans less positive about the job outlook, a survey released on Friday showed.

AFP - NPD Group on Thursday said US videogame sales slid 15 percent in February to 1.26 billion dollars, defying optimism that the industry would rebound on a reviving economy.

AP - Business inventories were basically flat in January even though sales rose for an eighth consecutive month.

Reuters - Switzerland's UBS has warned parliamentarians failure to back a deal to end its bitter U.S. tax row with the bank could result in a damaging backlash for Swiss banks as well as the Alpine nation's economy.

AFP - The storied American consumer braved blizzards and economic headwinds to shop in February, unexpectedly pushing up retail sales for the second straight month, official data showed Friday.

AP - Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from racking up purchases. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.

Reuters - In mid-January, a who's who of Wall Street gathered to hear Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman whose role in the White House seemed at best unclear.

AFP - The storied American consumer braved blizzards and economic headwinds to shop in February, unexpectedly pushing up retail sales for the second straight month, official data showed Friday.

AP - Louisiana's job picture improved somewhat in January, despite the loss of retail jobs for the Christmas season and jobs temporarily held by students, the Louisiana Workforce Commission reported Friday.

Reuters - The pace of financial regulatory reform remains slow even as the global economy struggles to recover from a crisis that many say was caused by inadequacies in the current system, attendees at an annual financial conference said this week.

AFP - US President Barack Obama is giving 'strong consideration' to nominating San Francisco regional central bank chief Janet Yellen as Federal Reserve Board number two, the White House said Friday.

AP - The unemployment rate last year for young Iraq and Afghanistan veterans hit 21.1 percent, the Labor Department said Friday, reflecting a tough obstacle combat veterans face as they make the transition home from war.

AP - RESHAPING THE FED: President Barack Obama needs to fill three vacancies at the Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, is his top pick to be vice chairman.

AP - The CEO of the nation's largest railroad says shipments are stronger than expected this year.

AP - An Associated Press calculation finds that steel maker Nucor Corp. paid its CEO fell 43 percent last year as it eliminated cash bonuses for executives to help it weather the recession.

AP - RETAIL SALES: Retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, surprising economists who had forecast a decline because of their expectation that major snowstorms would keep consumers away from stores.

AP - People worldwide are still buying U.S. wine in a tight economy, although exports were down in 2009 from 2008's record-setting year.

AP - The CEO of Union Pacific said Friday that shipments carried by the nation's biggest railroad are stronger than expected this year, but are still a long way from full recovery.

Reuters - Bankrupt Nortel Networks Corp on Friday posted a 62 percent drop in quarterly revenue, as customers cut spending in the face of uncertainty about its bankruptcy proceedings and the shaky economy.