he Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller index of home prices in 20 major U.S. cities posted a 1 percent increase in June from a month earlier . . . read more

Concerns are rising that the economy is at risk of slipping into a “double-dip” recession.

High unemployment, Europe’s debt crisis, a slowdown in China, a teetering housing market and sinking stock prices are all weighing on a fragile U.S. recovery.

So what exactly is a double-dip recession?

Robert Hall has an idea of what one looks like but no precise definition. He’s chairman of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of academic economists that officially declares the starts and ends of recessions . . . read more

The Associated Press Economy Survey drew upon forecasts from 44 economists. What follows are their average forecasts, along with some historical context.

HOUSING

— Sale prices of previously occupied homes: In 2010, a decline of 0.1 percent. In 2011, a 2.3 percent increase. Prices tumbled 10.7 percent last year.

— Number of previously occupied homes sold: In 2010, 5.4 million. In 2011, 5.9 million . . . read more

The era of record-low mortgage rates is over.

The average rate on a 30-year loan has jumped from about 5 percent to more than 5.3 percent in just the past week. As mortgages get more expensive, more would-be homeowners are priced out of the market — a threat to the fragile recovery in the housing market. . . . read more

The government’s bold new plan to stem the foreclosure crisis aims to succeed where previous efforts have fallen flat. Yet just as before, the odds are long, and many struggling borrowers won’t qualify.

In theory, the effort unveiled Friday, March 26, would help millions of troubled homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, or who are jobless and need a break on their payments.

But it depends on cooperation from investors and bankers, many of whom have been locked in disputes over whether to reduce the debt owed by homeowners.

And just like the bank bailouts, this rescue plan poses risks. If it doesn’t slow the wave of foreclosures or if home prices nosedive, the tentative recovery in the housing market could fizzle. . . . read more

Call them the Final Four: The four large cities that have made it through the Great Recession with the smallest increases in unemployment.

Minneapolis, Buffalo, Oklahoma City and Rochester, N.Y., don’t have much else in common. But a government report shows they’ve had the smallest increases in joblessness over the past two years among cities with at least 1 million people. . . . read more

A comparison of the Federal Reserve’s statement on the economy and its policy positions from its last meeting on Jan. 26-27 and the meeting Tuesday.

LABOR MARKETS

January: “The deterioration in the labor market is abating.”

March: “The labor market is stabilizing.”

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

January: “Household spending is expanding at a moderate rate but remains constrained by a weak labor market . . . read more