Let's not panic about the Dow just yet

Feb 5, 2018
Economic growth is strong, unemployment is low — there were no major global disasters that could trigger the Dow plunging more than 1,100 points today. So what happened?
Personnel sweep the floor after the closing bell of the Dow industrial average at the New York Stock Exchange today.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images

The market is not the economy ...

Feb 2, 2018
... but maybe they're kissing cousins?
A monitor displays the day's final numbers on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the closing bell today.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Here's why Trump softened his tone on trade during the State of the Union

Jan 31, 2018
Trump's tone on trade during his State of the Union speech was a bit more muted than usual.
President Donald Trump smiles after arriving to give the State of the Union address in the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday night.
WIN MCNAMEE/AFP/Getty Images

The shutdown is over, and the economy seems none the wiser

Jan 22, 2018
The government may be funded for another three weeks, at least, but there’s already another debate that seems to be looming on the horizon, and with it, another possible shutdown. While uncertainty appears to be the new normal in Washington, the U.S. economy appears to be, for all intents and purposes, healthy. According to Patricia […]

Tick, tock

Jan 19, 2018
Time is running out to avert a government shutdown.
The U.S. Capitol is seen as lawmakers work to avert a government shutdown today in Washington, D.C.
Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images

As women speak out on sexual harassment, investors take note

Nov 10, 2017
Harassment-related issues haven't been viewed by companies as a risk factor. That's changing.
A video board with the closing numbers on the floor at the closing bell of the Dow Industrial Average at the New York Stock Exchange on Nov. 1 in New York.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images

Oil earnings bubbling up

Oct 27, 2017
Exxon and Chevron report earnings today. Yesterday ConocoPhillips reported income that beat analysts’ estimates. Earlier in the week oil services firm Halliburton delivered strong earnings, with revenue up 10 percent. The earnings indicate the energy industry is in a minor rebound — after years of slump. Click the audio player above to hear the full […]

For public good, not for profit.

"Schrodinger's declaration of independence" in Spain

Oct 11, 2017
Spanish businesses are confused after the latest developments in Catalonia.
Catalan regional government president Carles Puigdemont signs a document about the independence of Catalonia at the Catalan regional parliament in Barcelona on October 10, 2017. Catalonia's leader Carles Puigdemont said Tuesday he accepted the "mandate of the people" for the region to become "an independent republic," but proposed suspending its immediate implementation to allow for dialogue.
JOSEP LAGO/AFP/Getty Images

How hurricanes could distort September jobs numbers

Oct 6, 2017
The September jobs report from the Labor Department comes out today, and hurricanes Harvey and Irma are likely to show up in the numbers in different ways. In Texas and Florida, where the hurricanes did significant damage, employees couldn’t get to work, workplaces shut down, job interviews got cancelled. All that could make job-creation numbers […]
Resident Mirian Medina stands on her property about two weeks after Hurricane Maria swept through the island on October 5, 2017 in San Isidro, Puerto Rico.
Mario Tama / Getty Images

Why is Rihanna's makeup line selling like wild?

Sep 22, 2017
Fenty Beauty boasts 40 shades of foundation. Fans say it gives women of color something they can't find elsewhere.
Bamike Ogunrinu, left, sits as New York City-based makeup artist Etzel Ecleston does her makeup with Fenty Beauty products. The brand, launched this month by popstar Rihanna, has been selling out online and in stores.
Peter Balonon-Rosen/Marketplace