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U.S. filings for unemployment benefits plunged to the lowest level since 1969, mainly reflecting the return of educational service workers in New York state, figures showed April 26.

Global trade momentum slipped in February, easing after recording its best month in more than seven years.

U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly rose in April to the second-highest level since 2000 as Americans grew more upbeat about both current conditions and the economic outlook, according to figures April 24 from the New York-based Conference Board.

Caterpillar Inc. raised its earnings forecast in a sign that industries from mining to energy are gaining momentum amid a stronger global economy — assuming no trade wars.

U.S. new-home sales increased in March to a four- month high, mainly reflecting a surge in the West, and upward revisions to prior months showed stronger first-quarter demand than previously estimated, according to government data released April 24.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose to a four-month high as buyers, fueled by a solid job market and tax cuts, quickly snapped up the limited number of available properties, National Association of Realtors data showed April 23.

The global growth outlook faces rising threats from trade tensions and mounting debt despite a strengthening and “increasingly broad-based” expansion at the moment, according to a statement from world finance ministers and central bankers.

Trade tensions between the United States and China risk eroding business and investor confidence, even as global growth enjoys its best upswing in years.

U.S. President Donald Trump may hope his tariffs on imported steel and aluminum will create new jobs, or at least protect existing ones. Researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said the opposite outcome was more likely.

U.S. filings for unemployment benefits fell to a three-week low, continuing a trend that indicates a tight labor market, Labor Department figures showed April 19.