. >> susie: good evening, i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. bullish news from tech belwether cisco systems: better than expected quarterly earnings, a big dividend hike, and the stock rallies in after hours trading. consumer prices hold steady, with little inflation in july, we look at what could change that picture. then, on the road again, with america's school children heading back-to-school, we look at the big business of busing. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: inflation remains a "no-show" for the u.s. economy. despite escalating concerns about the effects of the drought, retail prices barely budged in july. for the second straight month, the consumer price index was unchanged. core c.p.i., which takes out food and energy costs, edged up only 0.10%, the smallest increase since february. suzanne pratt takes a look at whether inflation is a likely to remain tame. >> reporter: at this fruit and vegetable market in new york city, prices this summer have been pretty stable. little evidence of the drought that's been destroying cro

. >> susie: good evening, i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. congressman paul ryan joins the romney ticket. we look at what choosing ryan, the powerful house budget committee chairman does for mitt romney's presidential chances. and an update on the 2012 drought: what is the federal government doing now to help farmers. that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: the economic agenda of mitt romney and paul ryan was "topic a", across the country today. presidential candidate romney, and his new vice presidential pick, hit the road today to talk to voters about their economic plan. ryan was stumping in iowa, his first event alone. and romney was in florida, continuing his bus tour of swing states. voters, and investors are trying to figure out what this new ticket means for the economy, and their investments. washington bureau chief darren gersh reports. >> reporter: for investment pros, analyzing what paul ryan could mean for markets is two- step process: first, will he help romney win? he has clearly energized conservative voters and may help

. >> susie: i'm susie gharib. home sales are picking up, and business is back at luxury home builder toll brothers, we speak with its chief financial officer. >> tom: shares of hewlett- packard rise tumble the closing bell, despite soft computer sales. >> susie: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: a new dose of stimulus to boost the economy could be in the works. that's what federal reserve policymakers talked about at their july meeting, according to minutes released today, here's what they said: "many" fed members supported more "quantitative easing", or what's commonly called qe-3, "fairly soon" unless the economy improves "substantially." several members noted the benefits of waiting for more information to clarify the economic outlook. and policymakers agreed to defer their decision until the next meeting on september 12. those minutes triggered an immediate move in the markets, as stocks trimmed their losses. by the close, the dow lost about 31 points, but the nasdaq rose more than six and the s&p a

. >> susie: i'm susie gharib. knight capital pegs losses from its trading fiasco at $440 million, but the hit to wall street's reputation could be much more. >> tom: and, we continue our look at regional banks, with one of the largest, bb&t c.e.o. kelly king joins us. >> susie: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> reporter: all talk, but no >> tom: all talk, but no action. europe's central bank today failed to announce any new concrete plans to help clean up the euro-zone's financial mess. susie, e.c.b. president mario draghi said he's ready to do more, but offered no immediate steps to solve europe's financial crisis. >> susie: tom, it was a huge letdown for investors around the world. draghi had raised expectations when he promised last week to do whatever it takes to protect the euro. when he failed to deliver on that, markets sold off in europe, and here on wall street. the dow lost 100 points, the nasdaq and s&p both down 11. >> susie: e.c.b. president mario draghi has become an expert in kicking the can dow

. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. tom is on assignment. fed chief ben bernanke says there's room to do more to help to the economy. the hope for more stimulus boosted stocks, but economist bob brusca says he's not buying it. the gold rush isn't over. find out what's behind the glittering rise in precious metals. what could a deal on deficit reduction look like? we do the math as we wrap up our coverage of the looming fiscal cliff. that and more tonight on n.b.r.! "there is scope for further action." those words from federal reserve chairman ben bernanke in a letter to a top lawmaker on capitol hill pushed stocks higher today. bernanke's comment came in response to questions from california republican darrell issa, chairman of the house oversight committee. bernanke added that the benefits need to be balanced against their potential costs and risks. the possility of more stimulus fr the central bangave investors hope and stocks spiked after that august 22 letter was made public this afternoon. the dow rose 100 points. the nasdaq added 16 an

. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. the nation's mood improves. consumer sentiment hits a three month high, despite rising gas prices. but tonight's market monitor guest is predicting a major sell-off for stocks. he's frank cochrane of investment timing consultants. and we head to houston for an update on efforts to get oil production back on track in the gulf of mexico. that and more tonight on "n.b.r." americans are feeling a little bit better about the u.s. economy. the latest survey of consumer sentiment improved unexpectedly in august. the overall sentiment index compiled by thomson-reuters and the university of michigan ticked up to 73.6, the highest level since may. consumer sentiment is almost 20 points higher than it was a year ago and economist drew matus says he knows what's behind that optimism. >> i think the main reason that consumers might be feeling more positive is that initial claims have been going down so fewer and fewer consumers are filing for unemployment insurance so they still might be having trouble finding work if they'r

captioning sponsored by wpbt >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. isaac gains hurricane status as the slow-moving storm takes aim at coastal louisiana, raising new worries about u.s. energy supplies. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. the housing mark builds a foundation as home prices mark their first year-over-year gains. >> susie: and republicans officially nominate mitt romney as their presidential candidate. tonight, we look at the history of business leaders in oval office. >> tom: that and more tonight on nbr. isaac officially became a hurricane this afternoon, bringing heavy rains and high winds to new orleans. finance ministers from the group of seven countries asked oil producing countries to step up production with the storm shutting down most production in the gulf of mexico. isaac is expected to make landfall tonight or early tomorrow morning in southeastern louisiana. while isaac isn't nearly as strong as hurricane katrina, memories of that storm seven years ago tomorrow has louisiana preparing, and evacuating low- lying areas. downtown new orlea

. >> susie: good evening everyone. i'm susie gharib. home prices head higher, as the housing recovery digs in. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. mcdonald's shares tumble. the fast food giant posts its first monthly sales drop in nearly a decade. >> susie: and the u.s. futures market, it's been hit by scandal, but investors are still buying in. we continue our look at confidence and the markets. >> tom: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> tom: there's more evidence the housing market is recovering. two reports show home prices jumped significantly in the second quarter. and it's a classic story of supply and demand. fewer homes for sale has helped push up prices for those looking for buyers. real estate data firm core logic finds home prices up 6% in the second quarter. freddie mac's survey has prices up 4.8%. this are the largest quarter over quarter price hike in at least seven years. housing had been a drag on the economy, but fewer homes for sale and record low mortgage rates have continued to repair the sector even though consumers remain c

. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. tom is off tonight. a rebound for the nation's retailers-- they post their first monthly sales gain since march. but will back-to-school sales keep the gains coming? we talk with moms and kids about what they're spending this year. and turning patients into consumers-- we take a closer look at the medicare plan of congressman and now vice- presidential candidate paul ryan. that and more tonight on nbr. a comeback for the american consumer. thanks to a burst of buying in july, the nation's retailers posted their first monthly sales gain since march. the commerce department reported today july sales rose eight tenths of 1%. the government revised june and may's numbers lower. economists welcomed the numbers, but say there's one thing that will get consumers to spend more-- jobs. >> relying on it which is relying on how much you need to invest, how much they will lead to higher. we thought the economy sold and would be bad for income growth and consumer spending fall back. >> susie: one retailer nailing it-

. >> susie: i'm susie gharib. freddie mac and profits, two things that haven't gone together in a long time. we look at the mortgage giant's unexpected gains. >> tom: also tonight, a study of a major new drug for alzheimer's is stopped. the cost and challenges for finding treatments for this disease. >> susie: that and more tonight on "n.b.r." >> susie: a three-peat on wall street today. the major stock averages rose for the third day in a row on investor hopes that europe is going to get its act together and central bankers will take action to fix the region's financial crisis. the dow rose 51 points; the nasdaq added almost 26, closing above the 3,000 level; and the s&p also crossed a key level, 1,400, up seven points. traders like jonathan corpina think the market will continue its slow and steady climb >> i am bullish because i don't really think there is going to be a significant indicator that's going to cause a sell- signal in this market right now. the earnings reports that we have been seeing have not cha

>> susie: i'm susie gharib. mitt romney's top economic advisor joins us from the republican national convention. he says tax and regulatory reforms could create millions of jobs, and boost the economy. tonight's market guest thinks we've seen the highs for the year, he's strategist stephen wood of russell investments. >> susie: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! will he or won't he? that's the burning question on wall street. will ben bernanke unveil a new plan on friday to stimulate the economy? the fed chairman might have second thoughts about doing anything given news today that the economy grew faster than previously thought. the g.d.p. rose at an annual rate of 1.7% in the second quarter, up from the 1.5% originally reported. also today, the federal reserve's beige book report showed all of the central bank's 12 districts expanded gradually in july and august, thanks to a pick up in housing, and retail sales. still, the economy is not where it should be, and that has many stock investors on edge. suzanne pr

. >> susie: good evening. i'm susie gharib. no new steps to boost the economy, but federal reserve policymakers say still they're ready to act. >> tom: i'm tom hudson. what's an investor to make of the central banks in-decision? pimco's mohammed el-erian, joins us with what you need to know about today's fed meeting. >> susie: meanwhile, volatility rocks stocks after a technology issue at one big market maker leads to a bumpy open here at the big board. >> tom: that and more tonight on "n.b.r."! >> susie: no new action from the federal reserve today, but tom, policymakers gave strong hints that it is ready to take steps, if necessary, to boost the economy. >> tom: susie, the key words from theed: it is "closely motoringncomg informatio about the economy. this is the same kind of language the fed used the last time it launched a new bond buying program. the fed's assessment of the u.s. economy was also pretty gloomy. it said economic activity decelerated over the first half of this year. employment growth has been slow in recent