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Most U.S. manufacturers are paying workers more to keep production humming amid a shortage of skilled labor —and it’s working.

Consumers drove the U.S. economy to better-than-expected growth in the third quarter, but a steep slowdown in business spending raised concerns about whether the strength in the expansion is sustainable.

U.S. factory production rose in August amid broad-based gains that included automakers, providing support for economic growth this quarter, Federal Reserve data showed Sept. 14.

A gauge of underlying U.S. inflation unexpectedly cooled in August as apparel prices fell by the most in about seven decades and medical-care costs declined, offering Americans a respite from accelerating price gains.

An index measuring contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes unexpectedly declined in July, signaling that buyers are balking at higher prices and a lack of choices in some regions, according to data released Aug. 29 from the National Association of Realtors in Washington.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in June at the slowest monthly pace in almost two years as demand cools in the face of affordability constraints, including elevated mortgage rates, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data released Aug. 28.

U.S. retail sales rose for a fifth month in June, and figures from May were revised upward amid gains at auto dealers and nonstore vendors, capping a quarter that probably saw consumer spending pick up after a tepid start to the year.

U.S. hiring topped forecasts in June while unemployment rose from an 18-year low and wage gains unexpectedly slowed, indicating the labor market has room to keep expanding.

Some economists are detecting signs in data that trade tensions are having an impact on American companies.

To understand what a trade war means for America, go to the Mississippi. Follow the mud-brown river past Louisiana’s chemical plants, oil refineries, granaries, ports, and the rail networks and highways that spring from its fingers.