Economy

New filings for jobless claims in the U.S. totaled 787,000 last week, the lowest total since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been expecting 875,000 for the week ended Oct. 17. The total reflected a decline of 55,000 from the downwardly revised 842,000 from the previous week. The

An employee stands on a social distancing marker in an elevator at an office in Dallas, Texas. Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Images The number of workers receiving and applying for unemployment benefits declined significantly last week, according to Labor Department figures issued Thursday. That’s good news for workers and the U.S. economy — thousands of

Pedestrians walk past a home with a “Sold” sign in San Francisco. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sales of existing homes rose a higher-than-expected 9.5 % in September to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 6.54 million units, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales were up 20.9% annually. Sales could

A worker uses a nail gun while installing trim in a home under construction at a Romanelli and Hughes Building Co. subdivision in Dublin, Ohio, July 9, 2020. Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images Homebuyer demand is incredibly strong compared with last year, but there appears to be a slight pullback this month. A

Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard issued a call Wednesday for more fiscal support from Congress, saying more stimulus is needed to address a recovery that has left out large parts of the economy. “The recovery remains highly uncertain and highly uneven — with certain sectors and groupsexperiencing substantial hardship. These disparities risk holding back the

U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he attends a campaign rally at Prescott Regional Airport, in Arizona, October 19, 2020. Carlos Barria | Reuters Next week, the U.S. will get economic news like it has never seen before, reflecting growth that had seemed impossible, as it is likely that GDP will have risen by about

Contractors install shingles on the roof of a home under construction in Park City, Utah, U.S., on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images The nation’s homebuilders are seeing no fall chill in demand from buyers, and that has the industry more confident than ever. Builder sentiment set a record high

President Donald Trump’s announcement that no further stimulus talks will happen until after the November election will put a dent in efforts to bring the economy back from its coronavirus pandemic-induced slide, Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said Tuesday. “Certainly, you know, the recovery will continue without it, I think, but it’s going to

An ‘Open House’ sign is displayed as potential home buyers arrive at a property for sale in Columbus, Ohio. Ty Wright | Bloomberg | Getty Images Mortgage rates moved even lower last week after setting multiple record lows in recent months, spurring more borrowers to call their lenders and apply for a refinance, but homebuyers

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