Finance

Stocks around the world remained stuck in the spin cycle Thursday, as worries about a possible recession collided with hopes that the strongest part of the U.S. economy — shoppers spending at stores and online — can keep going. The S&P 500 clawed back some of its steep loss from a day earlier, when stocks […]

NEW YORK, Aug 14 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – U.S. businesses with federal government contracts would be allowed not to hire LGBT+ candidates on religious grounds under a proposed rule announced on Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The policy change would state that government contractors, including universities, hospitals and corporations, can claim religious exemptions

U.S. industrial production fell 0.2% in July, as factory activity slumped in a worrisome sign for the economy. The Federal Reserve said Thursday that the overall decline was caused primarily by a 0.4% drop last month in manufacturing production. Output decreased for autos, fabricated metals, wood products, textiles and plastics and rubber products. Over the

Walmart raised its annual outlook after a strong second quarter for the world’s largest retailer thanks in part to strong online grocery deliveries. Sales at stores opened at least a year rose 2.8%, its 20th consecutive quarter in the right direction. U.S. online sales increased 37%, driven by grocery sales. Walmart continues to hold enough

Temporary benefits, like an increase in exports or inflation stabilization, might take the pressure off policymakers to enact longer-term economic changes, like industrial reorganization and work force training. And central bank moves could draw the attention, and even action, of politicians who can directly intervene in currency markets. Mr. Trump, for one, is convinced that

Asian stock markets followed Wall Street lower on Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged on mounting fears of a possible recession. Market benchmarks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong all retreated. U.S. investors dumped stocks, sending the Dow into its biggest one-day drop of the year, after the yield on the 10-year Treasury

Lance Ruttenberg knows too well how fast President Donald Trump’s China trade policies can change. As president and CEO of American Textile Co., he and his team spent weeks on a comprehensive study analyzing how a 10% tariff set for Sept. 1 would affect their business, which makes thousands of bedding items for hundreds of

HONG KONG, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Hong Kong braced on Thursday for more mass demonstrations through the weekend, with the weeks-long crisis escalating after pro-democracy protests forced the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights this week and world leaders urging calm. China reiterated on Wednesday that Hong Kong’s protest resembled terrorism and more street clashes followed

Ford is extending the warranties on about 560,000 small cars in the U.S. and Canada to cover a litany of problems with a troubled six-speed automatic transmission. The company has faced a string of lawsuits and complaints about the transmissions, which can lurch into gear or feel like they are slipping. The latest move covers

The Federal Housing Administration is changing regulations to make it easier for more first-time condo buyers to receive mortgages. The federal agency released new guidelines Wednesday for the types of mortgages it will insure at condominiums. Just 6.5% of the 150,000 condominium developments in the United States were previously eligible for FHA-backed mortgages. But the