Author: Leslie Stewart

Economists hoping for a better understanding of the U.S. job market are muting their expectations.The Bureau of Labor Statistics is scheduled to release payroll numbers for February on Friday, and the monthly data is expected to show slow growth, due in part to large-scale strikes in the health care industry.The US job market remains in turmoil. A surprisingly strong report in January gave optimism that hiring was on the rise, but the data also showed that U.S. job growth in 2025 will be much lower than previously thought.”We do not expect the February jobs report to provide much new information…

Damac Heights real estate development (right) at Dubai Marina in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Friday, February 20, 2026.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe United Arab Emirates is considering cutting off Iran’s access to billions of dollars held in the Gulf state, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The move could cripple Tehran’s access to foreign currency and global trade networks at a time when the country’s economy is deteriorating and the military conflict with the United States and Israel has put it under further pressure. Citing people familiar with the talks, the newspaper reported that Emirati authorities have warned…

IE11 is not supported. For the best experience, please visit our site in a different browser.Currently playingJustice Department shelves automated investigation into Biden00:20to the nextWatch Alisa Liu design Instagram posts for Olympic hopefuls02:24Austin police release body camera from bar shooting00:23Marin was selected to replace Noem and arrives in Washington, D.C.00:24Iranian FM says civilian deaths are ‘collateral damage’01:55Kristi Noem to resign as DHS secretary00:25″Swiftie” added as a word to Dictionary.com00:21Britney Spears released after arrest in California00:43Iranian Foreign Minister talks about the pros and cons of closing the Strait of Hormuz00:50Iran is ‘confident’ it can counter potential US ground invasion01:09Iran’s foreign minister…

A “Now Hiring” sign is seen at an AutoZone in Hollywood, Florida on February 11, 2026. Joe Radle | Getty ImagesThe labor market in 2025 has been widely described as “unstable,” with virtually no job growth and significant headwinds expected. But in 2026, things will look more or less the same, and the buzzword seems to be “stable.”Employment is low and layoffs remain low, with companies reluctant to lay off workers as demand remains strong, but also reluctant to add employees due to uncertainties surrounding tariffs, inflation and geopolitics.But characterizations from Federal Reserve officials and market economists have become at…

BEIJING – China on Thursday announced its lowest growth target in 35 years, as the world’s second-largest economy struggles with domestic challenges and growing uncertainty around the world.Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 bureaucrat, said in a “work report” held at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People during the opening of the National People’s Congress, China’s biggest political event of the year, that China will aim for gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 4.5% to 5% this year, “while actually aiming for improvement.”This figure is the lowest compared to the 5% target achieved last year and is the first formal…

Four brothers who were longtime friends of Michael Jackson are accusing the late pop star of being a “serial child predator” who preyed on Jackson when he was “7 or 8” years old in a new bombshell lawsuit filed last week in California.According to the complaint in U.S. District Court, Edward, Dominic and Aldo Cascio and their sister Marie Nicole Port called Jackson a “serial child predator” who “drugged, raped, and sexually assaulted the plaintiffs over a period of more than a decade.”According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs met Jackson through their father, who worked at a hotel where Jackson…

Private sector employment in February was slightly higher than expected, but most of the job creation came from just two sectors, ADP reported on Wednesday.Companies added a seasonally adjusted 63,000 employees during the month, an improvement from the downwardly revised 11,000 in January and above the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 48,000, according to the payroll company’s latest update.Although the total was higher than expected, breadth remains an issue for the labor market.The education and health services industry, a major driver of job creation, added 58,000 jobs in the month, well ahead of all sectors. Construction then contributed 19,000 jobs,…

4 minute readdaniel zanzarari | Featured on USA TODAY NetworkBitcoin falls to 15-month low due to slump in virtual currency marketBitcoin prices continued their long-term decline, dropping to around $67,000, the lowest price in about 15 months.cheddarIf you’ve been paying attention to this year’s headlines, you’d think that cryptocurrencies are just a mood ring for investors around the world.Prices move, commentators react, and news focuses on daily fluctuations. However, focusing on Bitcoin price movements blurs important economic distinctions. Cryptocurrency as a speculative asset is not the same as blockchain as an institutional technology. Confusing the two can lead to poor…

Tuesday’s primaries in three states left incumbents wobbling, setting up general election matchups and prolonging intraparty fights in the runoffs.They also highlighted broader lessons about the current state of national politics, from President Donald Trump’s enduring power over the Republican Party to the ideological, generational and strategic disagreements that continue to divide the Democratic Party. In Texas, where the Republican Senate primary is set for a May 26 runoff between four-term Sen. John Cornyn and the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, questions swirl over the race as to whether Trump will ultimately be on his side after other races have…

Pedestrians look at the city skyline while walking along the Tabiat Bridge in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, August 4, 2018.Ali Mohammadi | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesThe escalating conflict in the Middle East is posing a new challenge for the world’s central banks, as concerns about oil shocks and new inflation risks complicate policymakers’ calculations to boost growth.Oil prices soared on Monday after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran over the weekend that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei. The Iranian government responded with missile attacks targeting several Gulf states. Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the…