Economy

One of the biggest changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has been the inundation of working from home — and it doesn’t come without challenges. As an economics professor at Stanford University, I’ve talked to dozens of CEOs, senior managers and policymakers about the future of work. This has been built on my own years

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, left, listens as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks to members of the media following a meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Stefani Reynolds | Bloomberg | Getty Images A recovery that has lived

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s President and CEO Eric S. Rosengren Keith Bedford | Reuters Years of low interest rates led to excessive risk taking in commercial real estate and will make the current economic downturn even more severe, Boston Federal Reserve President Eric Rosengren said Thursday. The central bank official said he expects

A pedestrian wearing a protective mask carries a Converse Inc. shopping bag while waiting to cross a street in the Soho neighborhood of New York, on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. Nina Westervelt | Bloomberg | Getty Images Americans are saving more than ever during the pandemic, and Morgan Stanley says it may be enough to

First-time claims for unemployment benefits totaled 840,000 last week, higher than expected in another sign that the spike in job growth over the summer has cooled heading into the final part of the year. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting 825,000 new claims. Though the total was a bit worse than Wall Street

Federal Reserve officials worried that a lack of further fiscal stimulus would jeopardize and economy recovery that was moving faster than expected, according to minutes released Wednesday from the central bank’s September meeting. The Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday released minutes from its Sept. 15-16 meeting. The Fed’s policymaking arm held interest rates steady

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari became the latest central banker to warn against not getting more stimulus to the U.S. economy, saying that the cost of doing nothing could be major. As the impasse in Washington intensifies, Kashkari told CNBC that workers, businesses and governments need more cash from Congress. “There are enormous consequences

Jerome Powell, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, speaks during a news conference following a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, D.C., Oct. 30, 2019. Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell called Tuesday for continued aggressive fiscal and monetary stimulus for an economic recovery that he said

A “Store Closing” sign is displayed in the window of a store at the Elephant And Castle Shopping Centre in London, U.K., on Sept. 24, 2020. The shopping center is being closed to make way for a Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment’s venture to build almost 1,000 homes, a new college campus and stores. Simon

A protester blocks the street leading to the Washington, D.C., home of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., demanding the extension of unemployment aid, on July 22, 2020. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Stimulus checks and enhanced unemployment benefits that helped the poorest Americans weather the coronavirus pandemic are in danger of ending, throwing the

Nonfarm payrolls rose by a lower than expected 661,000 in September and the unemployment rate was 7.9%, the Labor Department said Friday in the final jobs report before the November election. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting a payrolls gain of 800,000 and the unemployment rate to fall to 8.2% from 8.4% in

Flight attendants, airline pilots and other aviation workers hold a protest organized by the Association of Flight Attendants urging the US Congress to pass a Covid-19 relief package and extend the Paycheck Support Program to save aviation jobs during a rally outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2020. Saul Loeb |

Despite another interest rate drop, demand for refinancing and purchasing mortgages fell last week, with total mortgage application volume down 4.8% from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Record-low mortgage rates are apparently not as impressive as they used to be, likely because rates have been so low for so long. The average

Homes in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. U.S. sales of previously owned homes surged by the most on record in July as lower mortgage rates continued to power a residential real estate market that’s proving a key source of strength for the economic recovery. Bing Guan

First-time claims for unemployment insurance totaled 837,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday as the jobs market continues its plodding recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting 850,000. The weekly total represented a decline of 36,000 from the previous week’s upwardly revised 870,000, according to seasonally adjusted numbers.

The U.S. economy needs more help from the fiscal side to recover from the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco Federal Reserve President Mary Daly said Wednesday. With the White House and congressional leadership still trying to work out details of an aid package, Daly likened the rescue funding so far to a

Companies added jobs at a faster-than-expected pace in September due in good part to a surge in manufacturing hires, according to a report Wednesday from ADP. The firm’s monthly private-sector jobs count showed growth of 749,000, ahead of the 600,000 expected from a Dow Jones economist survey. The report, done in conjunction with Moody’s Analytics,

People wearing facemasks wait to buy vegetables at a market vegetable stall as essential retailers reopen from the coronavirus (Covid-19) shutdown. SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images Smaller-sized businesses have been battered during the six months of the coronavirus pandemic but are feeling confident about their ability to withstand a second wave, according to