Recession

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• GLOBAL MARKETS-Stocks rise on U.S. jobs data; dollar lower

  *U.S. and European stocks get a lift, MSCI world index higher. The MSCI world equity index was up 0.4 percent, having strengthened earlier on factory activity surveys for January in China and in the euro zone, which increased optimism over the global growth outlook. "

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares gain, dollar dips as growth outlook brightens

  *MSCI World up as PMIs point to global expansion. LONDON, Feb 1- The dollar fell and world stocks gained on Friday as fresh economic data signalled that the euro zone's downturn has eased and China's growth was on track, but moves were limited as investors await a U.S. jobs report. MSCI's world equity index added 0.5 percent to stay close to its best level since May 2011.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Euro rises, shares gain as Europe's outlook brightens

  *China's official PMI slightly undershoots forecast. LONDON, Feb 1- The euro hit a fresh 14- month high and European stocks gained on Friday after economic data raised hopes that the region's downturn has eased, but moves were limited as investors await a U.S. jobs report. London's FTSE 100, Paris's CAC-40 and Frankfurt's DAX were up between 0.5 and 0.8 percent.

• UK Proposes Tougher Accounting Test on Banks

  Accountants will have to determine more thoroughly if a bank can stand on its own two feet for well over a year without taxpayer help under draft changes from Britain's audit regulator.

• NYMEX-Crude extends gains above $98, near 4-month high

  TOKYO, Jan 31- U.S. crude futures rose for a fourth day on Thursday to above $98 a barrel, holding near a four-and-a-half month high hit a day earlier, supported by better-than-expected European economic data that improved the outlook for global fuel demand.

• Is the Refi 'Apocalypse' Really Upon Us?

  

  A mortgage analyst says, "The thought is that there are a bunch of homeowners on the fence who haven't refi'd who will all jump in thinking they will miss out. The theory is 100 percent nonsense."

• FOREX-Dollar hits 14-month low vs euro as U.S. economy contracts

  *Euro rises above resistance at $1.35, highest since Nov. 2011. NEW YORK, Jan 30- The dollar fell to a 14- month low against the euro on Wednesday after data showed the U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, in contrast to an improving economic outlook in the euro zone.

• New Hawks and Doves at Fed Likely Won't Alter Policy

  

  The cast of voting members on the Fed's policy committee is changing, but Ben Bernanke will likely retain a solid majority for his drive to keep interest rates low well into the future despite critics who worry about the risks.

• Monti Win Likely to Boost Italian Bonds: Coutts

  

  Italy's technocrat prime minister, Mario Monti, is likely to lead the country again after the national election in February, Coutts Chief Investment Officer Norman Villamin told CNBC.

• Industries That Hired the Most in 2012

  

  Hiring showed modest but consistent gains as 2012 came to a close. Manufacturing and services were among the sectors that posted gains, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Economic Optimism Growing on Wall Street - CNBC Survey

  

  CNBC's Fed Survey shows expectations of a U.S. recession have dropped to just 20 percent.

• Who's Driving the Demand for Rental Apartments?

  

  As housing and the greater economy improve, a shift in demographic trends will likely favor the rental apartment market for the foreseeable future.

• Santelli: Fed Can't Put Toothpaste Back in Tube 

  

  CNBC's Rick Santelli criticizes the Federal Reserve's continued quantitative easing, predicting a "messy" exit for the economy. (2:29)

• The UK Conundrum: Contracting GDP, Positive Jobs Numbers

  

  U.K. employment creation has had a "+" sign in front of it for the last two years at the same time as gross domestic product shows the U.K. has not fully emerged from recession. How is this possible?

• Irish Banking Debt 'Global Responsibility': Former PM

  

  Ireland's shortcomings in underwriting its troubled banks is now a global responsibility that should be addressed, the country's former Prime Minister John Bruton told CNBC on Monday.

• Berlusconi Defends Mussolini, Sparking Outrage

  

  Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi triggered outrage from Italy's political left on Sunday with comments defending fascist wartime leader Benito Mussolini at a ceremony commemorating victims of the Nazi Holocaust.

• Barr: Tim Geithner's True Legacy

  

  Secretary Geithner's last day in office is today. It would be hard to find a public servant more misunderstood, writes this former Treasury official.

• Home Builders Turn to Rental Apartments

  

  Faced with heavy competition from a hot rental market, some of the nation’s home builders are turning some of their resources to building multi-family, rental apartment buildings.

• GLOBAL MARKETS-Shares, euro rise as Europe's outlook brightens

  LONDON, Jan 25- The euro hit an 11- month high and shares rose on Friday on signs that Europe's financial system is returning to health and the outlook is brightening for Germany, the continent's biggest economy.

• GLOBAL MARKETS- Euro, shares gain as German outlook brightens

  In the latest sign the recession-hit euro region is turning a corner, Germany's Ifo think tank said its business climate index, based on a monthly survey of some 7,000 firms, rose in January to its highest level since June 2012.