U.S. retail sales rise strongly in sign of consumer optimism
Online retailers, grocery stores, clothing retailers and electronics and appliance stores all reported strong gains.
Economy
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Analysis: Is U.S. economy nearing a recession?
For now, most economic signs appear solid. Employers are adding jobs at a steady pace, the unemployment rate remains near a 50-year low and consumers are optimistic.
Major stock indexes fall 3% after indicator warns of possible recession
The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly dropped below the two-year Treasury’s yield Wednesday morning for the first time since 2007. The so-called inversion has correctly predicted many past recessions.
U.S. wholesale prices see modest July increase
U.S. wholesale prices ticked up just 0.2% in July, the latest sign that inflationary pressures are largely in check.
Treasury Department designates China a ‘currency manipulator’
The United States and China traded blows in an unrestrained economic conflict Monday that sent stock markets plunging and threatened to inflict significant damage on a weakening global economy.
July U.S. jobs report shows solid gains amid trade frictions
U.S. employers slowed their hiring in July, but added a still-healthy number of jobs. Average hourly earnings increased 3.2% from a year ago, up from annual gains of 3% in June.
Richer U.S. households fueling hot job sector: ‘wealth work’
In an era that has witnessed a steady loss of manufacturing jobs, wealth positions hold one major distinct advantage: Because these jobs require personal interaction, they are immune to the threat of automation and outsourcing.
U.S. consumer confidence rebounds sharply in July
The bounce back from last month’s drop was much stronger than economists expected.
U.S. retail sales jump in June in sign of consumer health
Measures of consumer confidence remain historically high and June’s retail sales figures suggest that consumer spending, which drives two-thirds of the economy, remains strong.
U.S. consumers increased spending 0.4% in May
The Commerce Department said Friday that incomes rose 0.5% in May and inflation remained tame, increasing just 1.5% in the past year.
Latest estimate shows economy grew at solid rate in first quarter
The U.S. economy grew at a healthy 3.1% rate in the first three months of this year, but signs are mounting that growth has slowed sharply in the current quarter.
American consumers step up retail spending
The latest retail report suggests that American consumers are still spending at a healthy pace, even as the stimulus from tax cuts fades.
Holcomb administration pushes $1 billion tax hike for unemployment fund
The proposed 17% increase would bring the premiums paid by companies to a level recommended by the federal government, which is meant to prepare the unemployment fund for the next recession.
U.S. employers add just 75,000 jobs; unemployment rate stays 3.6%
The tepid job growth, along with rising pressures on the economy, makes it more likely that the Federal Reserve will cut rates in the coming months.
GDP revised down slightly for first quarter, to still-solid 3.1% rate
The U.S. economy grew at a solid rate in the first three months of the year, but much of that gain was based on temporary factors that likely will fade, leaving growth much slower in the current quarter.
U.S. consumer confidence hits highest level since November
American consumers felt more confident this month, shrugging off a rocky stock market and heightened trade tensions between the United States and China.
U.S. adds 263K jobs as unemployment rate hits 49-year low
Friday's jobs report from the Labor Department showed that solid economic growth is still encouraging strong hiring nearly a decade into the economy's recovery from the Great Recession.
U.S. productivity shows biggest quarterly rise in four years
With the strong gain in the first quarter, productivity over the past year has grown by 2.4%, the best four-quarter gain since a 2.7% rise in 2010.
Consumer spending sees biggest monthly rise since 2009
The March gain was a marked improvement after three months of lackluster readings in the key segment of the economy.
U.S. economy defies expectations with 3.2% growth in first quarter
The advance in the gross domestic product, the broadest measure of economic health, marked the strongest first quarter growth rate since 2015.