WASHINGTON — For companies bracing for losses from China’s viral outbreak, the damage has so far been delayed, thanks to a stroke of timing: The outbreak hit just when Chinese factories and many businesses were closed anyway to let workers travel home for the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. But...
Hopes Rise That Lifting Tariffs Could Allow US-China Accord
BEIJING — Prospects appear to have brightened for a preliminary breakthrough in the U.S.-China trade war after the two sides agreed to reduce some punitive tariffs on each other's goods as part of an initial agreement. A Chinese spokesman announced the development Thursday as talks on ending the trade war...
US Durable Goods Orders Fall 1.1% in September
WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods tumbled in September by the largest amount in four months while a closely watched category that tracks business investment fell for a second month. The declines underscored the troubles manufacturing is having in the face of a global slowdown and...
Opinion: Lessons From America’s September Trade Win Over China
On Sept. 25, the U.S. scored a significant trade win over China while strengthening our relations with many other industrialized countries and even the United Nations. The valuable lessons learned and successful negotiating practices augur optimism, even enthusiasm, that our broader trade discussions with China will succeed. At issue was...
US Economy Slowed to 2.1% Growth in Second Quarter
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy slowed sharply in the April-June quarter even as consumers stepped up their spending. The gross domestic product, the economy's total output of goods and services, grew at a 2.1% annual rate last quarter, down from a 3.1% gain in the first quarter, the Commerce Department...
China Imports From US Plunge 31% in June Amid Tariff War
BEIJING — China's trade with the United States plunged last month as a tariff war battered exporters on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. And there's no letup in sight: Tensions between the world's two biggest economies continue to simmer even though President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi...
In a Blow to Trump, America’s Trade Deficit Hit Record $891 Billion
By Jim Tankersley and Ana Swanson WASHINGTON — America’s trade deficit with the rest of the world rose to its highest level in history last year as the United States imported more goods than ever, including a record amount from China, ballooning the deficit to $891.3 billion and delivering a setback...