economy

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a modest 136,000 jobs in September, enough to help lower the unemployment rate to a new five-decade low of 3.5%. The figures show that hiring has slowed this year as the U.S.-China trade war has intensified, global...

By CARLO PIOVANO and LORNE COOK Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The trade wars threatening to push the global economy into recession are entering a new phase, with the United States and European Union escalating a dispute that endangers the world’s biggest trade relationship. After the Trump...

By BANI SAPRA AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Growth in the U.S. services sector slowed sharply in September to its lowest level in three years, suggesting that the Trump administration’s trade conflicts and rising uncertainty are weakening the bulk of the economy. The Institute for Supply...

By BANI SAPRA AP Business Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory activity hit a decade low last month in the face of President Donald Trump's trade conflicts, adding to a weakening picture of the global economy. The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Tuesday...

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — A sharply divided Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for a second time this year but declined to signal that further rate cuts are likely this year. The Fed's move reduced its key short-term rate — which influences...

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Profit at FedEx fell 11% in its fiscal first quarter, as the package delivery company was buffeted by slower economic growth and the loss of business from retail giant Amazon. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations, and the company lowered its forecast of earnings...

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government's budget deficit increased by $169 billion to $1.07 trillion in the first 11 months of this budget year as spending grew faster than tax collections. The Treasury Department reported Thursday that the deficit with just...

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans without health insurance edged up in 2018 — the first evidence from the government that coverage gains from President Barack Obama's health care plan might be eroding under President Donald...

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China's trade with the United States is falling as the two sides prepare for negotiations with no signs of progress toward ending a tariff war that threatens global economic growth. Imports of American goods tumbled 22% in August from a year earlier...

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday that the Fed is not expecting a U.S. or global recession. But it is monitoring a number of uncertainties, including trade conflicts, and will "act as appropriate to sustain the expansion."...