Bloomberg (12/13/13) Michelle Jamrisko

The Producer Price Index dropped 0.1% in November, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. This comes after a 0.2% drop in October. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had predicted no change. The core measure, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.1%. Slow global market improvement limited demand.

USA Today (12/13/13) Susan Davis

The U.S. House has approved a two-year bipartisan budget framework in a vote of 332 to 94 that will eliminate the threat of a government shutdown and modestly reduce the deficit over the next decade. Nearly equal numbers of Democrats, 163, and Republicans, 169, voted in favor of the measure. The deal sets top-line federal spending figures through fiscal year 2015, and partially alleviates unpopular spending cuts known as the sequester.

Bloomberg (12/12/13) Jim Efstathiou Jr.; William Selway; Kathleen Hunter

A last-ditch effort by Democrats to extend unemployment benefits before the House adjourns on Dec. 13 was unsuccessful, meaning that 1.3 million people stand to lose their benefits when the program expires on Dec. 28. With the Congressional Budget Office estimating that an extension of jobless benefits would cost $26 billion over two years, Republicans refused to grant an extension without budget cuts elsewhere.

However, CBO also estimates that an extension would increase economic growth by 0.2% and add around 200,000 jobs. Ending the program would affect states differently, and states with the highest unemployment rates—such as Nevada, Michigan, and California—would be the hardest hit.

Kelly Services News Release (12/12/13)

Kelly Services has announced a partnership with oDesk, an online workplace. oDesk will be a component of KellyOCG’s talent supply chain.

The alliance will help companies integrate freelancers into their flexible workforce. This will provide organizations with visibility into their independent contractor expenditures. Nearly five million freelancers are registered on oDesk.