European Central Bank (ECB) headquarters in Frankfurt. Photograph: Boris Roessler/EPA The decade and a half after the tearing down of the Berlin Wall was a golden age for central banks. It was a time…
Traders at New York Stock Exchange ended the year on a high note as Wall Street recorded its best performance since 1997. Photograph Stephen Chernin/Getty Images Traders are toasting the strongest y…
New leaders, like the Philippines' Yeb Sano, emerged in the burgeoning climate change movement in 2013 Photograph: Kacper Pempel/Reuters There was something almost apocalyptic about 2013. Typhoon Hai…
Third-year apprentice Hope Johnson at the Siemens plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. Photograph: Nanine Hartzenbusch/The Washington Post As a high school junior in Charlotte, North Carolina, Hope Jo…
An investor views stock prices at the Shanghai Composite Index. Photograph: China Photos/Getty Images The start of the new year is a time to focus on making a few changes in your life. And for savvy …
Full military-grade autopilot allows the Raptr to be pre-programmed to fly to hundreds of points on a map within a range of 10 miles under its own control. Photo: Guardian…
US consumer confidence is rated high in new figures Photograph: Daniel Barry/EPA US consumer sentiment hit a five-month high heading into the end of the year and spending has notched up its strongest…
Democrats are planning a fresh push this week to highlight the issue, including a media conference call with Nancy Pelosi. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP The expiration of benefits for 1.3 million…
Shoppers in Chicago browse through coats during Black Friday shopping at Macy's. Photograph: Andrew Nelles/AP Americans increased their spending in November by the most in five months, and their inco…
Outgoing Federal Reserve charmain Ben Bernanke before the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Photograph: Ron Sachs/CNP/Corbis Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Be…
. Central bankers never look like superheroes. Has US federal reserveboss Ben Bernanke even tried on the blue tights, …
Barack Obama conducts his final press conference of 2013 at the White House on Friday, assessing the successes and failures of the past year Barack Obama rejected suggestions that 2013 had been his w…
Janet Yellen is a step closer to taking over from Ben Bernanke as chair of the Federal Reserve. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images …
Federal Reserve vice-chair Janet Yellen is set to be promoted in January. Photograph: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA The Senate is expected to wrap up its work for the year on Friday by moving to clear President …
'When I registered through New York State's healthcare marketplace, the cheapest plan wasn't affordable on my income.' Photograph: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images I want to – believe me, I do. But I'm …
The outgoing Fed chairman Ben Bernanke announced a scaling back of the US's bond buying programme. Photograph: Zhang Jun/REX …
The rare Bernanke face of total concentration. Photograph: Charles Dharapak/AP Like a vexing magic eight ball, Ben Bernanke has for seven years delivered calm, cryptic economic missives to the world'…
'Talking about money is taboo, but it's necessary to understand inequality in our everyday lives.' Photograph: Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters …
A man walk past graffiti in Detroit, Michigan, December 3, 2013. Photograph: Joshua Lott /Reuters…
Just do it. That's the message for the Federal Reserve as it decides this week whether its Christmas present to the American people should be to start scaling back on the $85bn (£52bn) in newly minte…
Current Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, with Janet Yellen, his successor, who is likely to have to solve the QE conundrum. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images …
Senate Budget Committee chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) (R) and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) hold a news conference to introduce The Bipartisan Budget Act. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst…
Reports indicate the labour market is strengthening, with nonfarm payrolls increasing solidly in October and November. Photograph: Getty Images…
Paul Ryan and Patty Murray announce their budget deal. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP…
Senator Patty Murray and Representative Paul Ryan depart after a news conference to introduce the Bipartisan Budget Act. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters…
'They're using our members and they are using the American people for their own goals,' Boehner said of groups attacking the deal. Photo: J Scott Applewhite /AP…
Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen, vice-chair at a meeting to discuss the Volcker Rule. Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images…
Senator Patty Murray and Representative Paul Ryan hold a news conference to introduce The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013. Photograph: Jonathan Ernst /Reuters…
Act Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge. Photograph: Disney …
The rule is named after the former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker. Photograph: Jim Young /Reuters…
US economic growth outstriped that of Europe in 2013 and the budget deficit shrank. But America the could have – and should have – done better. Photograph: Mark Lennihan/AP …
City of Detroit pensioner Donald Smith sits across the street from the Federal Court House, to protest cuts in city workers' pensions. Photograph: Rebecca Cook/Reuters …
Youth participation has been critical in American political actions from climate change to Occupy. Photograph: James Fassinger …
David Simon, creator of The Wire, near his office in Baltimore. Photograph: Stephen Voss/Redux / eyevine …
President Barack Obama speaks during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony near the White House on Friday. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty …
Women perform a traditional dance during a protest against the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Nusa Dua, Bali. Trade negotiators meeting on the island say they are on the brink of a deal. Sonny Tum…
A job fair for veterans at the VFW Post 2681, Marietta, Georgia. Unemployment for African Americans remains at 12.5%. Photograph: David Goldman/AP…
MoveOn members are protesting at McDonald's locations in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz /Reuters…
Famously vacuous, surprisingly valuable. Photograph: Fred Prouser/Reuters…
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday. Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty Images…
President Barack Obama speaks about the economy and growing economic inequality in Washington. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP…
ADP’s report suggests that the government shutdown and argument over raising the debt ceiling had little impact on hiring. Photograph: Getty Images The US job market remained “surprisingly resilient”…
While minimum-wage workers are living from paycheck to paycheck, executives are raking in millions of dollars' worth of compensation. Photograph: Martin Godwin…
'The House continues to do its job; it's time for the Senate to get serious about its,' Boehner said. Photo: J Scott Applewhite /AP…
Unions said Kevyn Orr had not taken enough time to negotiate with creditors before filing for bankruptcy. Photograph: James Fassinger/theguardian.com…
Protesters demonstrate against cuts in Detroit city workers' pensions and healthcare during Detroit's bankruptcy eligibility trial in Detroit. Photograph: Rebecca Cook /Reuters…
Shoppers at a J Crew factory store north of Atlanta on Black Friday. Photograph: Robin Nelson/Zuma Press/Corbis…
Earlier this year, Bank of America agreed to pay $3.6bn in cash to Freddie's sibling company, Fannie Mae. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski /AFP /Getty Images…
A foreclosed home in Las Vegas, 2008. Is the housing boom and bust about to repeat? Photograph: Ethan Miller/Getty Images …
Pawnbroker Albemarle & Bond has been melting down gold jewellery to pay its debts. Photograph: Alamy …
Instead of waiting for Black Friday, which is typically the year's biggest shopping day, more than a dozen major retailers opened on Thanksgiving day this year. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP…
