TOKYO, Japan - August 24, 2010 - The U.S. dollar dropped to a fresh 15-year low against the yen on Tuesday, adding further pain to Japan's export-oriented economy.

The dollar slid as low as 84.17 yen Tuesday afternoon on Tokyo, the lowest since 1995, before recovering slightly to 84.47 yen.

WASHINGTON - August 24, 2010 - Sales of previously occupied homes plunged last month to the lowest level in 15 years, despite the lowest mortgage rates in decades and bargain prices in many areas.

July's sales fell by more than 27% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. It was the largest monthly drop on record dating back to 1968, and sharp declines were recorded in all regions of the country.

NEW YORK - August 23, 2010 - In the wake of news about a spike in new applications for unemployment benefits comes another potentially troubling sign: a record number of workers made hardship withdrawals from their retirement accounts in the second quarter.

What's more, the number of workers borrowing from their accounts reached a 10-year high, according to a report issued Friday by Fidelity Investments.

NEW YORK - August 23, 2010 - Housing led the U.S. out of seven of the last eight recessions. This time, it may kill any chance of a recovery.

Home sales collapsed after a federal tax credit for buyers expired in April. Since then, the manufacturing-led expansion, which began in the second half of 2009, has been waning, with jobless claims rising and factory orders falling.

WASHINGTON (PNN) - August 19, 2010 - Employers appear to be laying off workers again as the Second Great Depression continues. The number of people applying for unemployment benefits reached the half-million mark last week for the first time since November.

LOS ANGELES, Kalifornia - August 19, 2010 - Is Wall Street profiting from Kalifornia's misery?

That's been a concern of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who takes a dim view of financial instruments - known as credit default swaps - that enable speculators to bet against Kalifornia's ability to pay its debts.

WASHINGTON - August 19, 2010 - The U.S. economy faces even more difficult times ahead with chronic high unemployment rates and slow manufacturing growth, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf said on Thursday.

The U.S. unemployment rate will not fall to around 5% until 2014, Elmendorf wrote in his blog about CBO's new economic and budget outlook.