UNEMPLOYMENT

Unemployment is still well above 8 percent, the cost at the pump is rising and consumers are still wary and cost-conscious, but recent surveys indicate back-to-school buys and the upcoming holiday shopping season will be as good as or better than last year. Still, the theme of the season is cautious optimism.

Beni Prasad Verma, Indian Minister for Steel, remarked Monday that inflation was good for the country as it would benefit the farmers. His pithy observation has given the opposition parties more meat to attack the government.

Republican Senate hopeful Rep. Todd Akin made headlines on Sunday with claims that women are extremely unlikely to get pregnant after "legitimate rape." After the controversy broke, Akin released a full statement claiming he "misspoke."

The minutes of the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, to be released on Wednesday, will dominate markets in a week light on data.

Even at a time when paying for college has become a lifetime endeavor for the average Americans, having a college degree is still a worthwhile investment. Nearly four out of every five jobs destroyed by the recession were held by workers with a high school diploma or less.

Hungary's best and brightest are feeling pinched by an increasingly demanding government.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has plans to invest heavily in the country's future Olympians -- even though most of the population still lives in poverty.

Investors rewarded Portugal's efforts to trim its budget gap by sending the credit-default swaps on Portugal to a low of 725 basis points on Thursday, down from 1,515 in January and 1,237 in May, according to Bloomberg. The implied probability of Portugal defaulting on its debt fell to 46 percent from 73 percent.

The number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits rose slightly more than expected last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, suggesting little improvement in the labor market.

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly lower open Thursday ahead of the Labor Department's weekly jobless claims data and Census Bureau's reports on housing starts and building permits.

About the only things Americans seem to be eating when they go out are cheeseburgers, nacho platters, chicken sandwiches, curly fries and other fast-food fare.

Despite recent headline defaults, muni bonds have enjoyed a confidence born from historically low default rates, especially when compared to their riskier private sector cousins, corporate bonds.

Consumer prices were flat in July for a second straight month and the year-over-year increase was the smallest since November 2010, giving the Federal Reserve room for further monetary easing to tackle stubbornly high unemployment.

A mix of luxury brands and discounters reported quarterly earnings that topped expectations, results that underscored a broader report showing U.S. retail sales broke three consecutive months of declining growth in July as consumers regained some semblance of confidence this summer.

Are Tunisian women "complementary to men?" A new draft constitution says as much, but thousands of demonstrators disagree.

The unrest was fueled by high unemployment and a worsening economy

Singapore's population can't keep up with its productivity. Can the government do anything to get some more buns in the oven?

Saudi Arabia is drawing up plans to build a women-only city in an attempt to bolster the Middle Eastern country's female workforce.

Republican Party presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s selection of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., as his running mate is an attempt to re-structure the 2012 campaign’s debate so that it conforms to the Tea Party’s agenda - but it's one that will not change the election’s outcome.

Senegal has seen decades of peace and democracy, even while surrounding countries endured war, tyranny and instability.

Major data releases aplenty are on the economic calendar next week. In the U.S., investors will focus on July retail sales, industrial production, and consumer prices. In the euro zone, second-quarter gross domestic product figures across the major economies and the German ZEW index are the main highlights.