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<p>INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says a trooper died in a crash near Indianola in central Iowa when his patrol car left the road, landed in a field and burst into flames.</p> <p>The State Patrol says Trooper Mark Toney was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash Tuesday off U.S. Highway 65, just south of Indianola.</p>

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Builders started construction on fewer new homes in August, government data showed Tuesday, underscoring how the depressed U.S. real estate market shows little sign of recovering. Housing starts fell 5% to an annual rate of 571,000 last month, compared with a downwardly revised 601,000 in July, the Commerce Department said. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected housing starts to fall to 590,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes dipped slightly in September to remain in very low territory, according to an index released Monday. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index fell by a point to 14, on a seasonally adjusted index where readings above 50 are considered good. The index, which correlates closely with single-family housing starts, has held between 13 and 16 for the last six months.

SYDNEY (MarketWatch) — Asian stocks fell on Monday, as concerns about a Greek default came back to the fore amid indications that Europe is losing patience with the country’s efforts to cut its debt pile...

One of my friends posted this on her facebook page and I had to share it. How awesome would this be for Christmas?

The preliminary sentiment reading for September increased to 57.8 from 55.7 in August. The August reading was the lowest level since November 2008 with Washington’s protracted debt-ceiling negotiations taking a toll on consumers. “The mood of Americans remains dark so far this month, but not as dark as in August. Not that they can be blamed...,” wrote Jennifer Lee, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets... ...Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a reading of 57.3...

...The Philadelphia Fed said its index of current activity was -17.5 in September, an improvement from the -30.7 reading in August. Economists polled by MarketWatch had anticipated a -13.4 reading for September, though the miss wasn’t as stark as the August reading that shocked the market and economists alike...

Worries about the European debt markets pushed U.S. Treasury bond yields lower — and that helped drive interest rates on fixed-rate mortgages to record lows this week, according to a weekly survey of conforming loan rates released Thursday by Freddie Mac. The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 4.09% in the week ending Thursday, down from 4.12% a week ago and 4.37% a year ago.

U.S. industrial production rose 0.2% in August after a strong 0.9% gain in July. Production is now up in four straight months. Economists had expected no change in industrial output in August.. Capacity utilization increased 0.1 percentage point to 77.4% in August, the highest level since August 2008.

The U.S. current-account deficit fell to $118 billion in the second quarter, or 3.1% of GDP, from first-quarter levels of $119.6 billion, or 3.2% of GDP...

...The Labor Department on Thursday said consumer prices rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in August. The increase was largely responsible for a 0.6% drop in the average hourly wages of U.S. workers, adjusted for inflation. It marked the biggest one-month decline in more than three years. Stripping out the volatile food and energy categories, the “core” rate of consumer price inflation rose a smaller 0.2%. Yet the core rate has also been rising steadily, hitting a 12-month level of 2.0% for the first time since November 2008.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Manufacturing activity in the New York region weakened again in September, according to data released Thursday, raising fresh concern over the strength of the factory sector in the third quarter. The Empire State index decreased slightly to negative 8.8 in September from negative 7.7 in August, according to the manufacturing survey released by the New York Federal Reserve. This is the fourth month in negative territory. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected the index to improve to negative 4.0.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — So it’s official: In August there was no jobs growth, no sales growth and no price growth... That flat performance is pretty appropriate description about the economy: one that might not be in a recession but isn’t going anywhere fast and is very vulnerable to contraction.

Inventories at U.S. businesses rose 0.4% in July...Business sales rose 0.7%...The inventory-to-sales ratio declined to 1.27 in July from 1.28 in the prior month.

Retail sales were steady in August, as consumers spent more on essentials at gas stations and grocery stores, but less on cars, according to government data released Wednesday... Excluding the volatile auto segment, sales rose 0.1%. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected an increase of 0.3% for the overall number, as well as for the data excluding autos.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The price of U.S. goods at the wholesale level were unchanged in August as another decline in fuel costs offset an increase in food... The more closely followed core producer price index edged up 0.1% last month to mark the ninth straight increase... Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had predicted no increase in overall producer prices and a 0.2% rise in the core rate.

The cost of U.S. imports dropped 0.4% in August...Imports excluding fuel rose 0.2% last month...Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast import prices to fall 1.0%.

The National Federation of Independent Business' small-business optimism index declined 1.8 points in August to 88.1, the sixth drop in a row.

Timing is everything, and three Republican congressional candidates for Iowa's 2nd District agree it's past time for the current occupant of the seat to go. Republicans in southeast Iowa are hoping to build on the party's historic gains in 2010 and turn the southeast quadrant of Iowa red in 2012. Announced Republican congressional candidates Richard Gates of Keokuk; John Archer of Bettendorf; and Dan Dolan of Blue Grass, made their debut in Des Moines County Saturday night, speaking at the annual Des Moines County Republican steak fry fundraiser. "We've got to stop this type of politics where our elected officials...

The CBO estimated the gap between federal government revenues and spending at $1.23 trillion through August. The deficit in the first 11 months of fiscal 2010 was $1.26 trillion.