All Economy
First LookUS, EU agree to more talks to avert trade war over autosPresident聽Trump announced he will withhold new tariffs聽on European auto imports and in return the EU has promised to buy US soybeans, easing some stress on farmers feeling the effects of China's tariffs, but details of the agreement are still to be determined.
Is there a conservative case for a carbon tax?When a Republican congressman from Florida proposed a tax on carbon emissions, a conservative backlash followed. Yet many GOP voters and businesses support incentives for a clean-energy economy.
He calls it a 'hustle,' but this Russian鈥檚 cryptocurrency empowers a villageCryptocurrencies are associated more with hard-to-understand financial investments than small farms producing potatoes and eggs. But in ruble-poor, rural Russia,聽Mikhail Shlyapnikov created a system to help his community trade real goods and services. 聽
Cover StoryHelp wanted now! What full employment looks like in one Wisconsin cityThis year, for the first time since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking job openings 18 years ago, there are more positions available than workers to fill them. Wausau, Wis., offers a glimpse into what cities across the US may be facing in the future.
Amid trade war fears, an unresolved issue: how to get China to play fairFor a seemingly dry subject, trade policy seems to resonate with Americans. Perhaps competitive disadvantage is intuitive. The idea of a trade war instills fears, but unfair practices breed resentment.
Slumping milk prices force dairy farmers to think outside the barnDairy farmers have seen low milk prices before, but the current downturn has been severe in its duration. As some dairy farms fail, others are finding new paths forward.
First LookSmall businesses can still compete with Amazon 鈥� even on Prime DayOn Amazon 'Prime Day,' the online behemoth offers promotions on its products, but small businesses still have a fighting chance to make sales by focusing on authenticity and niche products, experts say.
First LookSilicon Valley employees increasingly push companies on ethicsTech employees are flexing new political muscle with the support of nonprofits including newly established organizations and other longstanding groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
In a US-China trade war, big losers include ... BMW? Taiwan?President Trump says his get-tough tactics are about addressing unfair practices in global trade. But as penalties and counter-penalties start flying, the results aren't always intentional or predictable.
First LookUS expected to surpass Saudi Arabia, Russia as world's top oil producerThe United States is forecasted to take the No. 1 spot as the largest producer of oil in the world by 2019 with estimates of 11.8 million barrels a day. But Saudi Arabia and Russia could still boost production and experts say there are pipeline bottleneck issues that would hinder shipping capacity.
Paid family leave: While US lags behind, more states set policiesAt a time when juggling the demands of family and work is a high priority for women and men alike, most US workers still lack the benefit of paid time off when a child arrives.聽
First LookStarbucks to phase out plastic straws by 2020As calls to cut waste grow globally, Starbucks announced it will swap its plastic straws in all of its 28,000 global locations聽to strawless lids and straws made of paper or compostable material.聽
First LookAARP helps seniors find steady jobsSome people without adequate savings must continue working long past retirement age. The AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment helps Americans 55 years and older get the training they need to secure better-paying jobs.聽
As economy hums, fewer workers make minimum wageThe US labor market continues to fly high, with a report of 213,000 new jobs in June. We wondered: To what degree is that making the minimum-wage job obsolete?
First LookUS tariffs could spur tech development in ChinaPresident Trump's administration is poised to increase tariffs for Chinese goods on Friday. But instead of hurting the Chinese tech economy, the trade riff could create an opportunity for China to move away from its dependance on American-made tech products and develop its own.聽
The ExplainerPost-crisis banking rules: now altered but not undoneIs bank regulation growing more pragmatic or just weaker? It's an important question as a long economic expansion continues, but with the Federal Reserve raising interest rates.
Tough talk or a trade war? Many US firms frozen in suspense.Could global sparring over trade create an era of more 鈥渃losed鈥� economics? In America鈥檚 manufacturing heartland, some worry that an effort to fight for US jobs could cost them instead.
Court ruling a blow, not a knockout, to public unionsBy ruling that public sector unions couldn't compel nonmembers to pay contributions, the US Supreme Court has presented new challenges to the political and economic clout of organized labor at a time of rising inequality.聽
First LookOnline shopping just got a bit more expensive with new sales tax ruleThe US Supreme Court ruled that states will be able place sales taxes on items from聽out of state, but analysts say businesses most likely won't lose many customers, as most shoppers find online shopping too convenient to give up.
First LookWith aging populations, companies rethink opportunities for older workersOne in 4 US workers will be 55 or older by 2024, according to the US Department of Labor. As people work beyond traditional retirement ages, companies are in the process of shifting the ways they treat, support, and think about older workers.