Stocks declined Tuesday but ended off their lows for the day after the Fed raised its forecast for 2010.

The Recovery Act has about $5 billion set aside for what's called weatherization: a top-to-bottom effort to make homes more energy efficient. In terms of trickle down,  federal funds go to a state agencies, which allocate money to  local non-profit agencies, which then farm out the work to local contractors.

Federal Reserve officials are increasingly confident in a durable recovery for the U.S. economy, even though they do not see employment picking up soon, according to minutes from their November meeting released Tuesday.

Stocks declined Tuesday, after soaring to new 2009 highs on Monday, as a report showed the economy grew less than expected in the third quarter and HP issued a cautious outlook.

David Rosenberg became the latest well-known economist to predict doom, telling CNBC the US economy is mired "in a form of Depression."

Americans' confidence in the economy improved slightly in November, but they remain gloomy amid a weak job market heading into the holiday season.

Stocks opened lower Tuesday, after soaring to new 2009 highs on Monday, as a report showed the economy grew less than expected in the third quarter.

David Rosenberg became the latest well-known economist to predict doom and gloom, telling CNBC that the US economy is mired "in a form of Depression."

U.S. home prices rose for the fifth straight month and posted the second quarterly increase, but the pace of appreciation slowed and was less than expected, according to Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller indexes.

The economy grew more slowly than initially thought in the third quarter, according to data that hinted at a lackluster recovery.

U..S. stock index futures were mixed Tuesday after Monday's gains which gave the U.S. stock market a positive start towards continuing a historical trend.

Up to 134 million U.S. consumers could venture out to shop for holiday gifts this weekend, although many are testing the waters for bargains before they commit.

Oil prices fell on Tuesday after data showed the U.S. economy grew at a slower-than-expected pace last quarter and investors braced for weekly figures to show crude stocks rose in the world's top energy consumer last week.

The dollar fell to a six-week low against the yen Tuesday after a mixed bag of U.S. data kept worries about an economic recovery alive, enhancing the safe-haven appeal of the Japanese currency.

President Barack Obama assured Americans that boosting jobs was a top priority, but gave no specifics about how to meet this goal that some economists say warrants more government spending.