Finance

Economic growth probably slowed sharply last spring, but don’t panic — the decade-long expansion has lost some momentum, but there’s little reason to think it is about to stall out. The Commerce Department will release its preliminary estimate of second-quarter economic growth at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Forecasters surveyed by MarketWatch expect the report to show […]

Orders to U.S. factories for large manufactured goods rose last month after sharp declines the previous two months, propelled by demand for commercial aircraft and cars. A category that tracks business investment had its biggest increase in four months. Orders for durable goods — or items meant to last at least three years — rose

Japanese officials said Friday they are pursuing procedures to downgrade South Korea’s preferred nation status as Tokyo expands export controls over sensitive materials. The Cabinet is set to approve as early as Aug. 2 a plan to drop South Korea from a list of 27 countries granted preferential trade status, Japanese media reported. Chief Cabinet

Asian shares are lower Friday as investors continued to watch the brewing trade conflict between China and the U.S., and any signs of what’s in store from central banks. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 0.6% to 21,629.03 in afternoon trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.3% to 6,801.00. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.6% to 2,062.34. Hong

Railroads are warning investors that freight shipments will continue to fall this year as the Trump administration’s trade fights hamper exports and cheap natural gas causes coal deliveries to dwindle. CSX and Union Pacific both reported a slowdown in freight hauling during the second quarter. The railroads predicted freight volumes will fall further in the

Southwest Airlines doesn’t expect to use Boeing 737 Max jets until January, and it is talking to Boeing about compensation for the grounding, which the airline says cost it $175 million in the second quarter. The loss of about 5% of its fleet is causing Southwest to take the unusual step of shrinking rather than

U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell this week, edging toward three-year lows amid signals from Federal Reserve officials that they could cut their benchmark interest rate at their meeting next week. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the key 30-year mortgage dipped to 3.75% from 3.81% last week. Those are historically low

Starbucks Corp. served up an extra frothy third quarter, zooming past Wall Street’s forecasts thanks to new drinks and growing loyalty. Based on the strong results, the Seattle-based coffee giant raised its full-year earnings guidance. It now expects adjusted earnings of $2.80 to $2.82 per share, up from $2.75 to $2.79. It also said it

Airlines are tallying up the damage and talking to Boeing about compensation for the grounding of the troubled 737 Max jet. On Thursday, two of the three large U.S. airlines that own Max jets updated their estimates of how the plane is hurting their bottom lines. American Airlines said its 2019 earnings will be reduced

The European Central Bank joined the U.S Federal Reserve in making clear that more stimulus could be coming soon to support an economy weakening in the face of global trade tensions. The ECB’s rate-setting board left its key interest benchmarks unchanged at a policy meeting Thursday but said it could cut them as its next