Economy

The number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to roughly 880,000 last week.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in the cities and the countryside.

Small business owners in college towns across the U.S. are hoping for the best when students return — and bracing for the worst.

Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse.

With White House officials and top Democrats at a weeks-long impasse over another coronavirus relief package, Senate Republicans are preparing to unveil their own new proposal — a pared-down version of a previous bill that notably does not include a fresh round of stimulus checks.

The coronavirus recession struck swiftly and violently. Now, with the economy still in the grip of the pandemic five months later, the recovery looks fitful and uneven — and painfully slow.

The gains of the past three months have now restored retail purchases to their levels before they plunged in March and April when the pandemic shuttered businesses and paralyzed the economy.

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell below 1 million last week for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic started in mid-March.

Americans counting on emergency coronavirus aid from Washington may have to wait until fall.

The uptick was about twice what economists expected. But inflation remains in check: Consumer prices are up just 1% over the past year.

The fate of a second stimulus check was thrown into uncertainty last week when White House officials and Democratic leaders missed a self-imposed deadline to cut a deal on another round of emergency coronavirus aid.

Amazon, celebrating the boom in e-commerce, is in discussions with Simon Property Group, the largest U.S. mall owner by number of malls with 204 properties, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The United States added 1.8 million jobs in July, a pullback from the gains of May and June and evidence that the resurgent coronavirus is stalling hiring and slowing an economic rebound.

Around the country, across industries and occupations, millions of Americans thrown out of work because of the coronavirus are straining to afford the basics now that an extra $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits has expired.

Nearly 1.2 million laid-off Americans applied for state unemployment benefits last week, evidence that the coronavirus keeps forcing companies to slash jobs just as a critical $600 weekly federal jobless payment has expired.

Housing advocates fear that they could see a wave of evictions in the coming months, as states end moratoriums put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Monday that its manufacturing index rose to 54.2 last month, up from a June reading of 52.6. Any reading above 50 signals that U.S. manufacturing is expanding.