April jobs report preview: More slow hiring ahead

The Labor Department will release its latest update on the U.S. job market Friday morning, and the outlook is neither rosy nor gloom and doom. Economists surveyed by CNNMoney are expecting 140,000 jobs were created in April.

While that would be an improvement compared to the meager 88,000 jobs added in March, it's really not much to write home about either. Over the past 12 months, the U.S. economy added an MORE

What's worrying the Bank of Japan?

Some members of the Bank of Japan have expressed concerns over the central bank's ambitious new monetary policies, warning that overly aggressive action could discourage lending, or produce otherwise unwanted side effects.

The concerns were disclosed in the minutes of the central bank's early April meeting, an event that ultimately produced a pledge to rapidly expand the bank's balance sheet through the purchase of  longer-term debt and securities, such as exchange traded MORE

Who brings home the bacon: Mom or Dad?

Are both you and your spouse unemployed? How do you make ends meet? Send your story to annalyn.kurtz@turner.com.

The rich are getting richer, while the rest lose ground

The net worth of American households grew by $5 trillion in the first two years of the economic recovery, but not everyone shared in the riches.

The top 7% of American families saw their wealth grow to $25.4 trillion in 2011, up from $19.8 trillion two years earlier. The remaining 93% of Americans experienced a decline in net worth to $14.8 trillion, down from $15.4 trillion, according to a new analysis MORE

Housing is key to Fed's ability to reach middle class

Although the Fed has been juicing the economy since late 2008, it doesn't feel that way to many people on Main Street. That's because a key part of the process has broken down.

Tight credit and a large number of underwater homeowners means that many middle-class Americans simply haven't been able to benefit from the Fed's low interest rates.

Now that the housing recovery is underway, that could change, said Federal Reserve MORE

The Fed's Bullard thinks inflation is dangerously low

Cue the flashback to summer 2010. Ben Bernanke and other officials at the Federal Reserve were warning that inflation was approaching dangerous lows, perhaps even flirting with the dreaded "D" word -- deflation. Bernanke gave a key speech in Jackson Hole that August hinting that more Fed stimulus might be in the pipeline. Sure enough, it was. The Fed launched QE2 about two months later.

A similar murmur is starting up again: MORE

For every job opening, there are 3 unemployed Americans

The number of job openings rose in February to 3.9 million, according to the Labor Department's JOLTS report released Tuesday. This is good news if it translates into new hiring in the next few months.

About 12 million Americans were still unemployed in February, which means for every job opening, there are roughly 3.1 unemployed workers.

By this metric, you can see that the job market has improved substantially since 2009, when MORE

When will the Federal Reserve be led by a woman?

Janet Yellen is the favorite pick for next Federal Reserve chair, should Ben Bernanke step down after his second term ends next January.

At least, that's according to the latest chatter among Fed watchers, including Neil Irwin at the Washington Post's Wonkblog and The Economist.

Of course, neither Yellen nor Bernanke have commented publicly on the matter.

In its 100-year history, the Federal Reserve has never been led by a woman, and worldwide, MORE

Where CEOs get paid the least

Sure, it's nice to rise to occupy a company's corner office ... but how lucrative it is depends on what state you're in.

There's a very wide variation in average CEO pay. Chief executives in some places make $100,000 more, on average, than their peers in other states, according to new federal statistics.

Overall, CEOs earn an average of $176,840 a year, which translates into $85.02 an hour. That seems pretty sweet MORE

Is China cooking its books?

Are China's economic statistics accurate?

Pose this question to a group a China watchers and you're likely to receive a variety of responses. Some observers are convinced that China is cooking its books. Others believe state statistics are largely reliable and useful for drawing conclusions about the world's second largest economy. Still others will debate the accuracy of certain data classes, pointing to more meaningful alternatives.

Now we have an opinion from researchers MORE