Sluggish wages, job growth expected to slow holiday shopping
Stores are also grappling with shoppers’ shift away from clothing and other traditional merchandise and more toward experiences like spas and concert tickets.
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UPDATE: U.S. hiring slows sharply as global economy weakens
U.S. hiring showed a strong downturn in September, and job gains for July and August were lower than previously thought, a sour note for a labor market that had been steadily improving.
State unemployment rate slides to eight-year low
Indiana’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest point since 2007 in August despite the loss of 5,500 private-sector jobs, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development announced Friday.
U.S. unemployment rate falls amid modest job gains
Hiring in August was the slowest in five months. U.S. stocks opened lower Friday after the report left investors uncertain about the outlook for interest rate policy.
U.S. productivity up 3.3 percent in spring, labor costs fall
Labor costs fell at a 1.4-percent rate in the second quarter, indicating that wages are not rising even as unemployment declines.
U.S. consumer spending up moderate 0.3 percent in July
U.S. consumers increased their spending by a moderate amount in July, while income growth was propelled by the largest jump in wages and salaries in eight months.
Report: Economy did better in 2nd quarter than first estimated
The economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the April-June quarter, more than a percentage point greater than the 2.3 percent originally estimated last month, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.
S&P takes significant hit amid global stock rout
The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell into a correction Monday for the first time since 2011 in one of the most volatile trading days ever, as a rout in global equity markets deepened.
Market plunge driven by fearful investors fizzles in U.S.
A wave of fear triggered by instability in China initially doused U.S. stocks on Monday morning, but then quickly receded by noon.
Unemployment rate holds steady as U.S. adds 215K jobs
Employers added 215,000 jobs in July and the unemployment rate held at a seven-year low of 5.3 percent, possible signs of further progress in the U.S. labor market that’s keeping the Federal Reserve on the path toward raising interest rates as soon as next month.
U.S. cuts estimates for economic growth over past three years
The U.S. economy grew more slowly over the past three years than the government had previously estimated, held back by more frugal consumers and steeper spending cuts by state and local governments.
State unemployment rate drops to seven-year low
The state’s unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent in June, sinking below 5 percent for the first time since February 2008, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development said Tuesday morning.
Survey: U.S. companies less optimistic about future sales
The overall survey results, compiled by the National Association for Business Economics, portray an economy muddling along at a steady, if tepid, pace.
U.S. adds 223,000 jobs as jobless rate slips to 5.3 percent
The rate fell mostly because many people out of work gave up on their job searches and were no longer counted as unemployed. Average hourly pay was flat.
Applications for unemployment benefits drop near 15-year low
The trend indicates that employers are confident enough in future consumer demand to retain their staffs. The number of people receiving benefits fell 50,000 to 2.22 million.
Economists: Second quarter to be worse than expected
U.S. economic growth in the second quarter is predicted to be far weaker than previously expected and it will prevent the pace of annual growth from exceeding last year's 2.4 percent, according to a forecast by a group of U.S. business economists.
Economy sank 0.7 percent last quarter, revised estimate says
The government’s revised estimate for last quarter, released Friday, was weaker than its initial estimate of 0.2-percent growth. The U.S. trade gap was found to be wider than first estimated. And consumer spending was slower than previously thought.
State’s unemployment rate falls to seven-year low
The state’s unemployment rate fell from 5.8 percent in March to 5.4 percent in April, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development announced Wednesday.
U.S. consumer prices show slight April increase
U.S. consumer prices were up slightly in April, but overall gains were held back by another decline in energy costs that offset the biggest one-month jump in medical care in eight years.
U.S. retail sales unchanged in April
The retail sales report also raises the possibility that nasty winter weather can't entirely explain the recent lackluster consumer spending in prior months, since the anticipated spring rebound has not materialized.