Economic Stimulus Act

Japan’s struggling manufacturers are showing signs of life as the government said Thursday that industrial production rose for the first time in six months in March.

President Barack Obama said he is “very hopeful” that deals can be worked out to keep Chrysler a viable automaker, as negotiations with debtholders continued late Wednesday and Italian automaker Fiat Group SpA was poised to sign on as a Chrysler partner.

The governor of Puerto Rico presented a budget on Wednesday that is nearly $2 billion smaller than last year’s as the island enters its third year of recession and faces a 15 percent unemployment rate.

The Supreme Court’s conservative justices led a sustained attack Wednesday on a key element of the Voting Rights Act, questioning whether one-time bastions of segregation still should be held to account for past discrimination.

Japan’s industrial output rose for the first time in six months in March, the government said Thursday, offering a strong sign that the country’s factories are coming back to life.

U.S. consumer confidence is at its highest level since November, but it doesn’t seem like Americans are ready to invest in automobiles, the second-largest purchase next to their home.

Time and federal stimulus money are precious commodities these days for Leslee Fritz. The 36-year-old has been in a whirlwind in the 10 weeks since Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed her to oversee the money flowing to Michigan through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Chrysler LLC will not be forced to shut down, according to a source familiar with the automaker’s plans. But the embattled company may still wind up declaring bankruptcy.

Oklahoma City’s unemployment rate increased slightly to 5.6 percent in March, but the rate was still one of the lowest in the nation.

Stocks extended gains on Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 index through a key technical resistance level at 875 and marking a 3-month intraday high for the broad based index.