NEW YORK (PNN) - February 18, 2013 - Gas prices have risen for 32 days straight, according to the Automobile Association of Amerika.

That means that the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline has increased more than 13% over that period, to $3.73.

WASHINGTON (PNN) - December 3, 2012 - Business among manufacturers contracted in November and fell to the lowest level in more than three years.

QUITO, Ecuador (PNN) - January 22, 2013 - Combined profit for Ecuador's private banks fell 21% in 2012 due to a series of measures taken by President Rafael Correa's regime.

According to the Bank Superintendency of Ecuador, 25 private banks operating in Ecuador, plus the state-run Banco del Pacifico Ecuador, posted a combined $312 million net profit in 2012, up from $395 million the previous year.

NEW YORK (PNN) - January 30, 2013 - The Fascist Police States of Amerika economy unexpectedly took its biggest plunge in more than three years last quarter, contracting at an annual rate of 0.1% and indicating a new level of vulnerability for the economy.

NEW YORK (PNN) - December 5, 2012 - Standard & Poor's on Wednesday cut its credit rating for troubled Italian bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena - the world's oldest surviving lender - to speculative-grade status of BB+ from BBB-.

BRUSSELS, Belgium (PNN) - January 30, 2013 - Water cannons have been used against stone-throwing demonstrators in the Belgian city of Namur, as thousands rallied against the closure of a factory that will put an end to 1,300 jobs.

NEW YORK (PNN) - December 5, 2012 - No matter how strong or weak Friday’s payroll number is, expect any analysis to carry caveats. November’s economic performance was skewed by Mother Nature, politics and the calendar.