The New England economy showed clear signs of improvement over the past several weeks as employers began to gain confidence that a recovery is on the way, according to a survey of businesses by the Federal Reserve.
The survey, known as the Beige Book, reported rising home sales in the region and increased demand for temporary [...]

High-flying financiers are sweating a coming wave of mortgage defaults tied to office and apartments buildings. Unfortunately for them, too big to fail doesn’t apply to the $6.5 trillion U.S. commercial real estate market.
Unlike the multitrillion-dollar government intervention launched to keep the American housing market from cratering, Washington has done little to ease a [...]

China’s $300 billion sovereign-wealth fund is eyeing big investments in distressed U.S. real estate, according to people familiar with the matter. To finance some of the deals, China may rely on an old trading partner: the U.S. government.
In recent weeks, officials from China Investment Corp. have held talks with U.S. private-equity fund managers, including BlackRock [...]

Americans borrowed less for the sixth consecutive month in July, fueling concerns that strained consumers will stall an economic recovery.
People shed debt by choice and by force, reflecting a combination of the thrifty attitudes and tighter lending conditions that have defined the recession. Total borrowing, which includes most consumer loans except real estate, decreased at [...]