Finance

California picked up an important partner its long-running dispute with the Trump administration over vehicle emissions and fuel economy by announcing a deal with Canada to work on pollution reductions. The agreement comes as the state is in a standoff with its own federal government on the same issues, with little hope of resolving the […]

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s under little pressure to reach a trade deal with China when he meets late this week with President Xi Jinping and is prepared to impose further tariffs on Chinese imports. “The Chinese economy’s going down the tubes,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “They want

For example, Francine Smilen recalled having “a tug of war with a pair of $80 jeans” with her teenage daughter in a Macy’s dressing room: Francine: “I am not buying you these jeans for 80 bucks.” Daughter: “Yes, you are.” Francine: “No, I am not.” In the end, after many similar discussions, “we paid for

Technology companies led stocks higher on Wall Street in early trading Wednesday amid fresh optimism among investors that the U.S. and China are making progress toward a deal to resolve their costly trade war. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC that a trade deal between the two nations was “about 90%” done during recent

Orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods fell sharply in May while demand in a category that tracks business investment rose modestly. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that orders fell 1.3% in May following an even bigger 2.8% drop in May. That weakness reflected a sharp falloff in orders for commercial aircraft, a category

Mr. Trump on Monday tweeted that the Fed “blew it” by increasing rates last year, and he has even toyed with the idea of demoting Mr. Powell to the role of governor. Mr. Trump has alternately implied that such a move would depend on Mr. Powell’s actions and denied suggesting a demotion. He said he

Asian shares were mostly lower Wednesday as investors awaited developments on the trade friction between the U.S. and China at the Group of 20 meeting of major economies in Japan later in the week. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.5% to finish at 21,086.59, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.3% to 6,640.50. South Korea’s Kospi

China promised that for 50 years after Britain gave up control of its last colony, this shimmering financial enclave would get to keep freedoms absent in the communist-ruled mainland. Twenty-two years on, those are rights many here believe Hong Kong cannot live without. The hundreds of thousands who marched in a June 16 protest over

Sales of new U.S. homes slumped 7.8% in May, as sales plunged in the pricier Northeastern and Western markets. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that new homes sold at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 626,000 in May, down from 679,000 in April. During the first five months of the year, purchases of new homes

The latest on developments in financial markets (all times local): 4 p.m. Stocks are closing lower on Wall Street Tuesday with technology and communications stocks leading the declines. Reports showing a drop in consumer confidence and weakness in the housing market, plus some cautionary remarks from the head of the Federal Reserve, weighed on investor