U.S. stock market indexes fell sharply in Friday’s early trading, but saw losses ease later in the day.  At one point the S&P 500 and the Dow were down by two percent or more, while the NASDAQ was off by 3.5 percent at one point.  Investors worried about faltering growth, …

The U.S. economy grew at a robust annual rate of 3.5 percent in the July-September quarter as the strongest burst of consumer spending in nearly four years helped offset a sharp drag from trade.  The Commerce Department said Friday that the third quarter’s gross domestic product, the country’s total output …

Honda Motor Co is considering shifting production of its U.S.-bound Fit subcompact cars to Japan from Mexico in a few years, partly due to a new North American trade agreement, two people familiar with the deal told Reuters. Fit cars for export to the United States are now made at …

Top trade officials from 12 countries and the European Union on Thursday vowed to reform World Trade Organization rules in the face of U.S. actions that threaten to paralyze the body and address some of Washington’s complaints about Chinese subsidies. The officials, meeting in the Canadian capital Ottawa, said they …

Major U.S. stock indexes made strong gains in Thursday’s trading after some upbeat profit reports by major companies.  The Nasdaq composite posted its biggest daily gain since March, as Microsoft’s upbeat earnings spurred a rebound in technology names and investors snapped up oversold shares. The Nasdaq added 209.94 points, or 2.95 percent, to 7,318.34, a day after it confirmed a correction …

Another torrent of selling gripped Wall Street on Wednesday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeting more than 600 points and extending a losing streak for the benchmark S&P 500 index to a sixth day. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite bore the brunt of the sell-off, leaving it more than 10 …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday the kingdom will continue with reforms and spending on infrastructure, predicting the economy will grow by 2.5 percent this year. Speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh, the crown prince also said he expected economic growth next year to be higher. …

Julius Wakam worked in auto manufacturing for 11 years before being laid off in 2008. Today, the married father of three has a job at a hardware store to make ends meet until he can secure another well-paying position in his field. Like many workers in America’s so-called Rust Belt, …

Smugglers and other organized criminals are likely to exploit gaps in border enforcement if Britain leaves the European Union without an agreement, a watchdog warned Wednesday, amid a growing chorus of warnings about the disruptive impact of a “no-deal” Brexit. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, …

The U.S. will not send a high-ranking official to attend a major investment fair in China next month, the U.S. Embassy said Wednesday, in a move underscoring worsening trade frictions between the world’s two largest economies. “China needs to make the necessary reforms to end its unfair practices that are …

Islamic-style banking is on the rise worldwide, showing especially strong growth in Africa recently, according to the rating agency Moody’s. This type of banking system doesn’t charge or pay interest, uses physical assets to underpin transactions, and does not invest in so-called “sin” industries like alcohol, pork and gambling. In …

It’s a good day for Illinois farmer Bob Gehrke, as the sun shines above the brown, dried and ready-for-harvest rows of soybeans in his fields outside Elgin.  A good day because Gehrke isn’t fighting wet weather as he spends up to 16 hours a day racing the clock and the …

The top Republican lawmaker on tax policy in the U.S. House of Representatives said Tuesday that he was working with the White House and Treasury to develop a new 10 percent middle-class tax cut plan that President Donald Trump began touting over the weekend. Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, who chairs the tax-writing …

A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Food Program finds extreme weather conditions in Syria have caused the lowest production of wheat and barley for nearly three decades in this war-torn country. Still, the Syrian government has managed to pacify most of country after more than seven …

Coffee drinkers in the nation’s capital can now order that tall pumpkin spice iced skim latte in sign language. Starbucks has opened its first U.S. “signing store” to better serve hard of hearing customers. The store in Washington is just blocks from Gallaudet University, one of the nation’s oldest universities …

Global stocks tumbled Tuesday amid investors’ concerns over world economic growth and gloomy forecasts from U.S. bellwether companies. Major Asian indexes fell sharply after China increased financing for privately-held companies. Compounding investor worries were gloomy forecasts from U.S. industrial giants Caterpillar and 3M. The developments dampened investor optimism about the …

Apple’s new iPhone XR has most of the features found in the top-of-the-line iPhone XS Max, but not its $1,100 price tag. The XR offers the right trade-offs for just $750. For something cheaper, you’ll need to look in the iPhone history bin. Older models are still quite good. If …

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday vowed to hold peace talks with arch-rival India following elections in the neighbouring country, after a similar offer from the former cricketer was “rebuffed.” Khan made the announcement during a speech at a Saudi Arabian investment conference where the newly minted leader launched a …

McDonald’s, home of the Big Mac, reported a dip in third-quarter profit Tuesday, but notched comparable sales growth in key regions, including Britain, France and Japan. Net income at the fast-food giant fell to $1.6 billion, a drop of 13.1 percent from the same period of the prior year. But …

The U.S.-China trade war is helping push Beijing and Tokyo closer.  How close will become clearer later this week, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe makes his first visit to China since taking office in 2012. Analysts say the three-day trip is unlikely to resolve historic territorial disputes between the …

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended Saudi Arabia’s investment conference, which was boycotted by world business leaders and politicians after the slaying of journalist and government critic Jamal Khashoggi. The crown prince, who is suspected of being involved in the murder, arrived at the conference late in the day …

Foreigners sold a net 4.01 billion riyal ($1.07 billion) in Saudi stocks in the week ending Oct. 18, exchange data showed on Sunday – one of the biggest selloff since the market opened to direct foreign buying in mid-2015. The selloff came during a week when investors were rattled by …

The International Monetary Fund announced Friday it had reached an agreement with Ukraine on economic policies that would unlock a new loan deal that will provide nearly $4 billion. The new 14-month standby loan deal replaces an existing four-year financial aid package agreed in March 2015 and due to expire …

A women-to-women investment fund is coming to Britain next month to boost financing for female-owned businesses, its founder said Thursday, as efforts grow to close the gender investing gap. SheEO has lent more than $2 million to 32 female social entrepreneurs in the United States, Canada and New Zealand to …

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Thursday as the European Commission issued a warning regarding Italy’s budget and concerns mounted about the possibility of strained relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. S&P 500 technology stocks fell more than 2 percent, as did the tech-heavy Nasdaq. Wall Street’s major indexes pared …