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An index of U.S. leading indicators rose in July by the most in four months, as stronger job growth helps power the world’s largest economy.

Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes rose in July to a 10-month high as low borrowing costs and an increase in inventory drew buyers.

Fewer Americans than forecast applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign the U.S. job market is making progress as the world’s largest economy grows.

By adding money laundering to the charges against FedEx Corp., federal prosecutors are trying to force the package-shipping company to settle its drug-trafficking case, attorneys and analysts said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation moved forward on writing rules that may mandate automakers’ use of talking-car technology, saying more than a thousand lives a year might be saved on the nation’s roadways.

A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S raised its full-year profit forecast after the company’s container-shipping line, the world’s largest, said earnings are rising because of higher freight volumes and lower costs.

The cost of living in the U.S. climbed in July at the slowest pace in five months, indicating price pressures remain limited even as the economy picks up.

Factory production increased in July at the fastest pace in five months as capital spending climbed and motor vehicle demand surged, indicating the industry is helping propel the U.S. economy.

Wholesale prices in the U.S. rose at a slower pace in July as fuel costs dropped by the most in eight months.

Applications for unemployment benefits in the U.S. rose more than forecast last week, interrupting a steady decline to pre-recession lows.