(Reuters) - Following a now-familiar script, Europe again averted disaster in its debt crisis when German deputies rallied behind Chancellor Angela Merkel to approve a stronger euro zone bailout fund on Thursday. But bigger challenges lie ahead for the euro zone and markets are already demanding more far-reaching measures to prevent a crisis that began in Greece from spreading far beyond Europe and its banks.

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(Reuters) - U.S. chief executives' view of the economy deteriorated sharply in the third quarter, with the number who expect to cut jobs roughly doubling, according to a survey released on Thursday. A quarterly survey by the Business Roundtable found that 24 percent of CEOs expected to cut jobs in the U.S. over the next six months, more than double the 11 percent who had forecast that in the second quarter.

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(Reuters) - New claims for jobless benefits hit a five-month low last week and the economy was a touch stronger in the second quarter than previously thought, the latest suggestions a new recession is not in the cards. A gauge of future homes sales, however, showed the housing sector remained on the rocks last month.

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(Reuters) - Pending sales of existing U.S. homes fell less than expected in August despite rock-bottom mortgage rates, underscoring the difficulties policymakers face in helping the struggling housing sector. The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday that its pending home sales index, based on contracts signed in August, was down 1.2 percent to 88.6, its lowest since April.

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(Reuters) - Stocks rallied on Tuesday, once again taking a cue from efforts by euro zone officials working to beef up the region's rescue fund to ease the debt crisis. Major indexes rose for a third straight session, with the S&P 500 up more than 5 percent, its largest three-day percentage gain in six weeks. The market should extend its gains "if we continue to get constructive dialogue out of the euro zone as to how they intend to backstop their major financials and some of their sovereign debt issues," said Art Hogan, managing director at Lazard Capital Markets in New York.

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(Reuters) - Talk of beefing up the euro zone's bailout fund lifted stocks on Tuesday but complicated the debate in Germany where Angela Merkel is struggling to unite her coalition behind more modest steps to aid Europe's weak economies and banks. European shares rose for a second day and safe-haven German bonds fell on reports that European policymakers were preparing decisive action to tackle the bloc's sovereign debt crisis by leveraging up the 440 billion euro rescue pot.

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(Reuters) - Home prices were unchanged on average in July in a sign that the weak housing market could be stabilizing, a survey showed on Tuesday. The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of single-family homes in 20 metropolitan areas was unchanged from a month earlier when adjusted for seasonal factors. Economists expected the seasonally-adjusted series to rise 0.1 percent. Prices declined 4.1 percent from July 2010.

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(Reuters) - The U.S. economy is on a 'knife edge' between growth and contraction and monetary policy tweaks do not seem to be helping, the Dallas Federal Reserve's top economist said on Tuesday. The U.S. jobs engine has lost momentum and could be set for further "backtracking," Dallas Fed chief economist Harvey Rosenblum told a forum sponsored by the greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, he said, there is also a "credible" risk of rising inflation.

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(Reuters) - Talks between the United Auto Workers and Ford Motor Co for a new labor contract as well as ratification of the proposed agreement with General Motors Co were nearing a conclusion. "We have accelerated our talks," Joel Goddard, co-chairman of the UAW Ford National Negotiating Committee said in a recorded call on Monday evening, citing the involvement of UAW President Bob King in the constant meetings with Ford negotiators.

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(Reuters) - Dow Jones Indexes said on Monday an issue that delayed price quotes at the open on the widely followed Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI had been resolved and feeds were showing live quotes. The blue-chip index did not reflect its components' stock prices for more than 10 minutes at the open. DJ Indexes said it had faced a technical problem.

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