United States: U.S. GDP Grows Above-Forecast 2.6% as Business Spending Picks Up The U.S. economy cooled by less than expected last quarter as business investment picked up, suggesting growth could be stronger for longer as the Federal Reserve takes a patient approach to interest rates. The 2.6 percent annualized rate of gains in gross domestic

United States: America’s Job Market Has Some Upside as Disabled Workers Return Whether would-be workers linger on the U.S. labor market’s sidelines is a key question: it will determine how fast the country’s economy can grow, how fast wages might rise, and, potentially, how patient the Federal Reserve can afford to be with rate increases.

United States: U.S. Farmers Fear Trump’s Assault on WTO Hurts Them Donald Trump’s attack on the World Trade Organization has U.S. farmers worried that the president’s ‘America first’ foreign policy approach will hamstring efforts to defend their interests. The U.S. is strangling the ability of the WTO, which oversees the rules for nearly $23 trillion

United States: U.S. Push for Stable Yuan May Unwind China's Move Toward Markets President Donald Trump may finally get to deliver on his campaign promise to address China’s management of its currency for what he has insisted is its trade advantage. But it would mean an about-face on almost a decade of global economic policy.

United States: Warning Signs Flash for HSBC, Merrill in Emerging Market Rally The backlash to the world’s most-popular trade is underway -- the emerging market rally has now gone too far, according to HSBC Holdings Plc and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. A combination of potentially hawkish Federal Reserve surprises and already stretched performance has

United States: Trump Adds to Carmakers’ Woes as Markets Across Planet Fizzle The tariffs that President Donald Trump may impose on vehicles imported to the U.S. would be just the latest kick in the teeth for carmakers battling cooling markets across the planet. Findings of an investigation into whether imported cars could pose a national

United States: Xi Hails Important Progress, Says Trade Talks to Resume in U.S. President Xi Jinping said U.S.-China trade talks would continue next week in Washington, as the two sides race to reach a deal that would avert a tariff increase on Chinese goods after March 1. “Negotiations between both sides have achieved important progress

United States: Krugman Sees Possible U.S. Recession With Little Fed Wiggle Room Nobel laureate Paul Krugman said the U.S. economy may be heading into a recession at a time when the Federal Reserve doesn’t have the firepower to properly combat a slump. “There seems to be an accumulation of smaller problems and the underlying backdrop

United States: Trump Says He Won’t Meet Xi Jinping Before Tariff Deadline President Donald Trump said he won’t meet Chinese President Xi Jinping before a March 1 deadline to avert higher U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, intensifying fears the two won’t strike a deal before the end of a 90-day truce. Trump responded “No” and

United States: U.S. Jobless Claims Fall Less Than Expected After Shutdown Ends Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by less than expected last week, signaling it may take longer for the labor market to return to its previous trend following the partial government shutdown. Jobless claims declined to 234,000 in the week ended Feb. 2,