Consumer sentiment last week hovered near a five-year high as more Americans said the economy was improving and their finances were mending. more

Rhode Island single-family home sales rose 7 percent in April compared with the same period last year, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said Thursday. more

Jewelry manufacturer Alex and Ani announced Wednesday that it has partnered with Borderfree, a market leader in global e-commerce solutions for U.S. retailers, in an effort to ship its eco-friendly jewelry products to more than 100 countries. more

United Natural Foods Inc.’s bottom line rose 8.9 percent year over year during the three months ended April 27, and 14.5 percent year over year for the first three quarters of its fiscal year, the company announced after close of business on Tuesday. more

The foreclosure inventory in Rhode Island was unchanged from April 2012 to April 2013 at 3.2 percent, CoreLogic reported Wednesday. This means that 3.2 percent of all homes with a mortgage in Rhode Island were in one aspect of the foreclosure process. more

Single-family home sales in Bristol County, Mass., jumped 26.34 percent in April compared with the same period in 2012, The Warren Group said Wednesday. more

Unemployment rates fell year over year in April in 276 of the United States’ 372 metropolitan areas, including the Providence-Fall River-Warwick metro; rose in 78 of the nation’s metropolitan areas, including the New Bedford metro; and was unchanged in 18 areas, according to the latest non-seasonally adjusted data. more

On Thursday, May 30, the Rhode Island School of Design will host a groundbreaking ceremony to launch the three-year construction project for the renovation of its illustration studies building. more

Providence communities lost more than $200 million in wealth due to the foreclosure crisis in 2012, according to the “Wasted Wealth” report from the Alliance for a Just Society. more

The unemployment rate for New England fell 0.4 percentage points year over year in April to 6.8 percent, seasonally adjusted, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Tuesday. more