Halting the financial sector’s death plunge is arguably the government’s most measurable achievement this year. Yet as President Barack Obama observes the one-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ collapse, his administration’s increasingly sunny assessment of Wall Street’s rebound faces a hard sell.

MANCHESTER, N.H.—-FIRST® , an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology, today officially launched its 2009 FIRST Tech Challenge season with an online Kickoff event unveiling this year’s game, Hotshot!

The national stimulus package passed by Congress in February may have been too enthusiastic about spending money on one particular project: figuring out where broadband Internet access is available and how fast it is.

A top economic adviser to President Barack Obama on Friday acknowledged the risks of reining in too quickly the emergency programs put in place to battle the financial crisis.

The Campbell Soup Co., hurt lately by rising ingredient prices and a strong U.S. dollar but boosted by shoppers looking for cheap meals, is expecting a more stable economy — and more conventional soup-selling challenges.

The federal deficit surged higher into record territory in August, hitting $1.38 trillion with one month left in the budget year.

Improving U.S. consumer sentiment and a big drawdown in wholesale inventories on Friday built on recent evidence that an economic recovery was picking up speed.

NEW YORK—-Fitch Ratings assigns an ‘AA-’ underlying rating to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s $300 million of consolidated bonds, series 160. The bonds are expected to price competitively on or around Sept. 16, 2009 and have a final maturity of 2039.

Despite the optimistic economic data, U.S. markets closed in the red. Oil slipped lower, while gold shot higher. Starbucks is scrapping plans to close 30 locations.

Halting the financial sector’s death plunge is arguably the government’s most measurable achievement this year. Yet as President Barack Obama observes the one-year anniversary of Lehman Brothers’ collapse, his administration’s increasingly sunny assessment of Wall Street’s rebound faces a hard sell.