_Economy and Finance

ECONOMY |APRIL 28, 2011, 4:57 P.M. ET U.S. Economic Growth Slows By CONOR DOUGHERTY Economic growth stumbled in the first quarter, but most economists see it as a passing phase caused by a combination of bad weather and surging prices.

10 places where housing is soaring France Annual increase: 9.5% Paris has long been known for stylish people, delicious cuisine and universal health care. And let's not forget some of the priciest real estate in the world.

10 places where housing is soaring China Annual increase: 15.3% (based on Beijing and Shanghai prices) Need somewhere to store your wealth and maybe even make a healthy profit? Millions of Chinese have been buying up homes with the same enthusiasm once common among U.S. home buyers. With few investment options for many middle class Chinese, residential properties have become a great option to store wealth. Even while the global financial crisis in 2008 gripped many nations, China's housing market was virtually unaffected.

ASIA NEWS|APRIL 27, 2011 Asia's Growth Seen Imperiled by Prices By ALEX FRANGOS HONG KONG—Unchecked increases in oil and food prices could shave growth across Asia over the next two years, according to a report by the Asian Development Bank, imperiling economic gains among the poor in the globe's fastest expanding region.

Related News: Economy · Real Estate · U.S. Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Drop Most in More Than Year on Foreclosures By Alex Kowalski and Shobhana Chandra - Apr 27, 2011 5:11 AM GMT+0900 Residential real-estate prices dropped in the 12 months to February by the most in more than a year, putting the market on the verge of eclipsing the nadir reached during the U.S. recession.

CHINA NEWS|APRIL 26, 2011, 1:08 P.M. ET China Seeks Bigger Role in Australia Economy By DINNY MCMAHON BEIJING—China aspires to play a greater role in Australia's economy, one of the country's top leaders said Tuesday, signaling Beijing's aspirations for its companies to make inroads beyond simply extracting resources.

Home prices in 'double dip' By Les Christie, staff writerApril 26, 2011: 12:08 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Home prices in February sank 3.3% to just above the post-crisis lows reached in April 2009. It was the seventh straight month of declines.