Category: News

January 17, 2020

U.S. homebuilding surged to a 13-year high in December as activity increased across the board, suggesting the housing market recovery was back on track amid low mortgage rates, and could help support the longest economic expansion on record. Housing starts […]

January 10, 2020

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market appears to be entering 2020 on a solid footing. Economists expect that Friday’s jobs report will show job gains of 160,000 in December, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 3.5%, according to the […]

January 8, 2020

Private payroll growth ended 2019 on a strong note, with companies adding 202,000 positions in December in another sign of a healthy labor market, according to a report Wednesday from ADP and Moody’s Analytics. The total was well above the […]

December 23, 2019

WASHINGTON — Home-buying slumped in November, with many Americans priced out of the market by rising prices and a shortage of sales listings. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales of existing homes fell 1.7% last month to […]

December 23, 2019

China cut import tariffs on a wide range of goods including food, consumer items and parts for manufacturing smart-phones, continuing Beijing’s drive to lower trade barriers and spur domestic demand. The Ministry of Finance on Monday published a list of […]

December 13, 2019

The numbers: The cost of imported goods rose in November at the fastest pace in six months, but the increased was tied entirely to oil and unlikely to add much pressure to U.S. inflation. The import price index advanced 0.2% […]

December 6, 2019

China is waiving punitive tariffs on U.S. soybeans and pork while the two sides negotiate a trade deal, the Ministry of Finance said Friday. Beijing promised in September to lift the tariffs, adding to conciliatory steps that raised hopes for […]

November 27, 2019

The numbers: The number of people who applied for unemployment benefits fell sharply in the week before Thanksgiving, putting jobless claims back near historic lows and reflecting the persistent strength in the U.S. labor market. Initial jobless claims declined by […]

November 13, 2019

WASHINGTON — Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, painted an optimistic picture of the United States economy before Congress on Wednesday, though he warned that threats to the outlook persist. “In particular, sluggish growth abroad and trade developments have […]

November 7, 2019

The numbers: The number of people who applied for unemployments benefits in early November fell to the lowest level in a month and clung near a half-century low, reflecting the resilience of the strongest labor market in decades. Initial jobless […]