US Economy
Clinton, Obama tout tepid US jobs report
By Shannon Jones, 6 August 2016
A closer look at the employment numbers for July reveals many indications of continuing economic stagnation and deepening hardship for wide layers of the population.
US homeownership rate falls to lowest level in 51 years
By Gabriel Black, 3 August 2016
Declining household income and rising rent prices are preventing workers and young people from owning homes.
Slowdown in US, global economy
By Tom Eley, 1 August 2016
Second-quarter gross domestic product figures for the US and Europe show a further slowing in economic growth and business investment.
Farm equipment giant John Deere lays off 120 workers as sales plummet
By George Gallanis, 1 August 2016
The third round of layoffs in 2016 raises the total number of workers cut by Deere in the US to 2,000 over the last two years.
US government investigates allegations Fiat-Chrysler falsified sales figures
By Shannon Jones, 23 July 2016
The auto company confirmed that it is under investigation by both the SEC and the FBI for an alleged scheme to pad its monthly sales totals.
Study shows funding down, tuition up at US public universities and colleges
By Buster Haycook, 22 July 2016
Years of cuts in state funding for public colleges and universities have driven up tuition and have led to faculty reductions, fewer course offerings and campus closings.
Incomes declining or stagnant for the vast majority in “rich” countries
By Gabriel Black, 16 July 2016
A new report from McKinsey Global Institute finds that for most people in the advanced capitalist countries there has been no recovery from the 2008 Wall Street crash.
US Justice Department blocked prosecution of HSBC bank for drug cartel money laundering
By Gabriel Black, 15 July 2016
The House Financial Services Committee report makes clear that the Obama administration’s failure to hold criminally liable a single leading Wall Street figure is the result of a highly conscious and systematic policy.
US unemployment rate rises despite rebound in new jobs
By Tom Hall, 9 July 2016
The number of people counted as unemployed actually increased by 347,000, a higher figure than the number of jobs added.
IMF chief points to war danger
By Nick Beams, 8 July 2016
International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde warned against the dangers posed by the prospect of a “wave of protectionism.”
Economic inequality soars in US
By Patrick Martin, 2 July 2016
Average incomes of the top 1 percent rose twice as fast as the incomes of the remaining 99 percent of Americans in 2015.
Brexit vote highlights deepening crisis in global economy
By Nick Beams, 30 June 2016
The Brexit outcome has revealed acute problems in the “quantitative easing” program that the world’s major central banks have used to sustain the global financial system over the past eight years.
Dow Chemical slashes 2,500 jobs ahead of DuPont merger
By our reporter, 30 June 2016
The layoffs, which will hit workers in Michigan, North Carolina and Japan, are just the beginning of the bloodletting being prepared by the merging chemical giants.
Illinois public sector devastated as budget impasse approaches one-year mark
By Alexander Fangmann, 29 June 2016
Many parts of state and local government will soon run out of money as the Democratic-controlled state legislature and the Republican governor continue wrangling over how to slash public services.
Financial market turmoil continues in wake of Brexit vote
By Nick Beams, 28 June 2016
British government leaders have issued statements claiming they have the situation under control, but to no avail as financial markets continue to plummet.
After Brexit, mounting warnings of global slump and financial panic
By Andre Damon, 27 June 2016
The ongoing sell-off in global financial markets comes amid a chorus of warnings by international institutions that the world economy faces a deepening crisis.
Reports document social crisis
US wages and jobs decline, inequality rises
By Patrick Martin, 23 June 2016
Two reports issued over the past week shed light on the deepening social crisis in the United States and the deteriorating economic position of the working class.
IMF cuts estimates for US economic growth and points to worsening long-term trends
By Nick Beams, 23 June 2016
The IMF’s latest report on the US economy highlights “pernicious” tendencies that will impact heavily on growth and economic well-being.
On eve of Brexit referendum, mounting warnings of global trade war
By Andre Damon, 22 June 2016
The World Trade Organization warned that protectionist measures by leading economies has hit the highest level on records dating back to 2009.
The return of “secular stagnation”
By Nick Beams, 17 June 2016
Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen’s comments on Wednesday pointed to the emergence of “secular stagnation” in the global economy, a term first developed in the 1930s.
Fed holds interest rates amid mounting global turmoil
By Nick Beams, 16 June 2016
The Fed decision to keep interest rates on hold is an expression of the fact that what were once considered “normal” operations of the capitalist economy are breaking down.
Markets applaud speech by Fed Chair Yellen signaling delay in rate hikes
By Barry Grey, 8 June 2016
The response of markets to signs of economic distress and signals that the Fed will keep cheap credit flowing was typical of the period since the financial crash—relief and exultation.
US economy adds fewest jobs in five years
By Evan Blake, 4 June 2016
The US economy added only 38,000 jobs in May, the fewest since 2010, in another indication of the persistent slump gripping the US economy.
Economic conflicts threaten global trade war
By Nick Beams, 3 June 2016
The decision by the US International Trade Commission to launch an investigation into 40 Chinese steel producers has far-reaching implications.
US death rate rose in 2015
By Niles Niemuth, 2 June 2016
The mortality rate in the United States increased across the board last year, reflecting the impact of mass unemployment, austerity, stagnating wages and benefit cuts.
Warnings of slump in US economy
By Nick Beams, 28 May 2016
Falling investment and declining productivity threaten to trap the US economy in what commentators are calling a “low-growth mode.”
Currency conflicts surface at G-7 meeting
By Nick Beams, 23 May 2016
As with other major economic summits in the recent period, the weekend meeting of the G-7 could reach no agreement on co-ordinated measures to halt the stagnation of the global economy.
Sports Authority to close all stores, lay off 16,000
By George Gallanis, 21 May 2016
The announcement by Sports Authority (SA) follows a wave of recent closures from other retail companies.
US department store sales plunge, jobless claims rise
By Barry Grey, 17 May 2016
The slump in major chain store sales reflects the impact of a vast reordering of class relations in the US with devastating consequences for the working class.
East Cleveland, Ohio seeks bankruptcy protection
By Samuel Davidson, 16 May 2016
East Cleveland, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, is seeking permission to file for bankruptcy.
Highest-earning US hedge fund managers raked in $13 billion last year
By Niles Niemuth, 11 May 2016
The top hedge fund managers made more in a year than the cost of replacing all lead pipes in Flint, Michigan and fixing the city’s poisoned public water system.
Slowest US job growth in seven months
By Barry Grey, 7 May 2016
In typical fashion, President Obama and others in his administration attempted to present the April jobs report as a positive vindication of their economic policies.
Deepening contradictions within the global economy
By Nick Beams, 5 May 2016
Just as the economics of the present period are increasingly resembling the 1930s, so are the politics.
Poverty has become more concentrated under Obama
By Nancy Hanover, 2 May 2016
A new study reveals the dramatic increase in “high poverty” districts throughout the US in the wake of the 2008 crash.
Apple sales decline points to faultlines in global economy
By Barry Grey, 28 April 2016
Apple exemplifies the unprecedented and unsustainable inflation of stock prices since the Wall Street crash of September 2008.
Peabody Energy declares bankruptcy
By Clement Daly, 26 April 2016
Amidst the deepening global economic crisis, the world’s largest coal company declared bankruptcy, threatening the living standards and working conditions of its 7,100 global workforce.
Seven dead, hundreds homeless in Houston, Texas flood
By Shelley Connor, 20 April 2016
Houston’s working class residents have been forced to flee rising waters with little assistance from the city or state governments.
Financial crisis panel urged Obama administration to prosecute top bankers
By Gabriel Black, 16 April 2016
Not a single bank executive or government official referred by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to the Obama Justice Department for criminal investigation has been prosecuted.
IMF to meet amid worsening stagnation and rising geo-economic tensions
By Nick Beams, 12 April 2016
As global growth continues to slow, there are rising concerns that the negative interest rate policies of major central banks are worsening the situation.
Fiat Chrysler layoffs hit workers in suburban Detroit
By Jerry White, 8 April 2016
The announcement that Fiat Chrysler is cutting 1,420 jobs at its Sterling Heights assembly plant foreshadows a new wave of downsizing in the auto industry.
Fiat Chrysler axing 1,400 jobs at Sterling Heights, Michigan plant
By Shannon Jones, 7 April 2016
The company is permanently eliminating one shift at the passenger car plant in suburban Detroit due to slumping sales.
Pennsylvania budget underfunds education, prepares attack on pensions
By Douglas Lyons, 4 April 2016
The deal leaves an estimated $2 billion deficit unresolved until the next fiscal year.
The social crisis and the US elections
By Barry Grey, 2 April 2016
Behind the phony economic “recovery,” the entire structure of employment in the United States is being radically altered to reduce the status of workers to that of a super-exploited casual labor force.
Following Machinists union betrayal
Boeing to slash 4,000-8,000 jobs
By Barry Grey, 31 March 2016
Both the IAM and the SPEEA reacted to the announcement of the job cuts with impotent appeals to the state legislature to bar the company from slashing jobs.
Global oil industry job losses continue to mount
By Tom Hall, 28 March 2016
Around 100,000 jobs have been lost in the US alone since 2015, with tens of thousands more job losses expected this year.
Michigan Kids Count report shows drastic rise in child poverty over last decade
By Zac Corrigan, 28 March 2016
Eighty of Michigan’s 83 counties show an increase in child poverty, with the statewide rate increasing by 23 percent since 2006.
Coal giant Peabody Energy on verge of bankruptcy
By Clement Daly, 22 March 2016
In a string of bankruptcies, the courts are being used to attack the wages, pensions, health care and working conditions of miners—gains realized through decades of struggle.
New study says entire regions of US will remain in slump until the 2020s
By Jerry White, 21 March 2016
The figures on persistently high unemployment in large sections of the country coincide with new layoffs in the oil, coal, steel and other manufacturing industries in the US.
US Steel layoffs hit another 770 workers
By Samuel Davidson, 21 March 2016
The latest cuts at US Steel come just months after the USW passed a contract granting the company millions of dollars in concessions and cuts to health and retiree benefits.
US Federal Reserve aligns itself closer to market demands
By Nick Beams, 17 March 2016
Wednesday’s announcement by the US central bank that it intends to keep interest rates on hold and reduce the pace of rate hikes was welcomed by financial markets.
Study: Worsening conditions for young people throughout the developed world
By Nick Barrickman, 15 March 2016
Drawing on income statistics from eight of the world’s 15 most advanced economies, the series paints a picture of dimming social prospects for young people.
Hundreds of millions in cuts on the horizon in Louisiana
By Tom Hall, 15 March 2016
Education and health care, two areas of spending not protected from cuts by the state’s constitution, have faced years of budget-slashing.
Central banks confront unintended consequences
By Nick Beams, 15 March 2016
Markets are awaiting decisions by the Bank of Japan and the US Fed on monetary policies as concerns grow over negative interest rates.
UAW sanctions mass layoffs by farm equipment giant John Deere
By George Gallanis, 14 March 2016
Since November, John Deere has laid off 445 workers with the full complicity of the United Auto Workers.
Minnesota’s Iron Range hammered by steel industry layoffs
By a correspondent, 11 March 2016
The United Steelworkers and the Democratic Party have responded with nationalist demagogy, blaming China for “illegal dumping” of steel products on the US market.
US steel union hails Obama trade war measures
By Shannon Jones, 10 March 2016
Predictably, the USW showered praise on the Obama administration for measures targeting imported rolled steel.
Nearly one-third of US food stamp recipients rely on food pantries
By Kate Randall, 9 March 2016
A USDA study found that about 45 percent of SNAP clients limited food consumption, usually by skipping meals, to make it through the month.
TVA pension cuts: A new stage in the assault on American workers
By Niles Williamson, 5 March 2016
The attack on the pensions of federal employees is a warning that no section of the working class is exempt from the social counterrevolution being carried out in the interests of the financial aristocracy.
US employment report: Payrolls rise, wages fall
By Barry Grey, 5 March 2016
According to the Labor Department’s household survey, only 11.7 percent of new jobs created in February were full-time.
G-20 summit rules out coordinated stimulus
By Nick Beams, 29 February 2016
Despite calls for fiscal stimulus by the International Monetary Fund, the only area in which the major economic powers are increasing their spending is on the military.
Perplexity and divisions mark G-20 meeting
By Nick Beams, 26 February 2016
The G-20 meeting in Shanghai is riven by the widening divisions between the major capitalist powers as the crisis of the global economy intensifies.
US social crisis overshadows 2016 presidential election
By Patrick Martin, 26 February 2016
The American media gives round-the-clock coverage to the minutiae of capitalist politics, but very little attention is paid to the catastrophe facing the working class.
Slowdown in Pennsylvania natural gas industry adds to state budget crisis
By Douglas Lyons, 26 February 2016
The Pennsylvania natural gas industry, located in the Marcellus Shale region, has curtailed production and laid off hundreds of workers in response to declining gas and oil prices globally.
The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The US Standard of Living Since the Civil War
By Eric London, 23 February 2016
According to a recent book by Northwestern University economist Robert Gordon, there is no objective foundation for an end to economic stagnation in the United States.
Wal-Mart reports currency losses and falling sales, profits
By Patrick Martin, 20 February 2016
The giant retailer, the largest private employer in the United States, is under fire on Wall Street for failing to aggressively exploit online sales.
OECD downgrades global growth forecast
By Nick Beams, 19 February 2016
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said global growth has “practically flat-lined” and financial instability risks are on the rise.
Air conditioner maker Carrier to close two Indiana plants, slash 2,100 jobs
By Steve Filips, 19 February 2016
Anger erupted on the shop floor of an Indianapolis factory last week after a spokesman told workers the plant closing was the “best way to stay competitive.”
Stock market panic risks new financial crisis
By Andre Damon, 12 February 2016
The global sell-off expresses growing fears that the trillions pumped into the financial system since 2008 have done nothing to improve its underlying health, and may have sown the seeds for a crash on an even greater scale.
Amid mounting signs of slump and financial crisis
Fed seeks to reassure markets on rate increases
By Barry Grey, 11 February 2016
Yellen broadly hinted that the Fed would hold off on a further increase in its benchmark federal funds interest rate when its policy-making Federal Open Market Committee meets again in mid-March.
A new stage in the global economic breakdown
By Nick Beams, 9 February 2016
The growing financial crisis in China, marked by capital flight and mounting concerns over debt levels, is accompanied by increasing doubts about the stability of the entire global banking system.
Job losses mount in US steel and aluminum industries
Arcelormittal announces $8 billion loss
By Samuel Davidson, 8 February 2016
Manufacturers have posted record losses amid a massive fall in prices and continuing slump in domestic and world demand.
Recession risk on the rise
By Nick Beams, 6 February 2016
Falling yields in US and global bond markets point to a rising risk of recession as the IMF warns that commodity-exporting countries are coming under “severe stress.”
Global manufacturing continues to fall
By Nick Beams, 2 February 2016
The Chinese steel industry recorded a loss of more than $9 billion for 2015, in the clearest expression of China’s economic slowdown.
Wall Street celebrates mounting signs of US slump
By Andre Damon, 30 January 2016
The financial markets responded to a series of reports pointing to a sharp economic downturn in the US by staging a euphoric rally.
Wall Street falls on global growth fears
By Nick Beams, 28 January 2016
A downturn in the share prices of two major companies, Apple and Boeing, was responsible for more than half of yesterday’s fall in the Dow.
Global slowdown to deepen attacks on jobs
By Nick Beams, 25 January 2016
Stock markets recovered some of their losses at the end of the last week, but the underlying trend in the world economy is slower growth and outright recession.
Misery compounds as mass layoffs continue in West Virginia
By Naomi Spencer, 23 January 2016
Each week brings announcements of hundreds of layoffs in coal, rail or other industries across the state.
What is driving the stock market panic?
By Barry Grey, 18 January 2016
After more than seven years of bailouts and trillions in virtually free cash for the banks and financial markets, the real economy has not only not recovered from the Wall Street crash of 2008, it is rapidly deteriorating.
Global stocks plunge amid fears of a new financial crisis
By Barry Grey, 16 January 2016
Friday’s selloff, with the EURO STOXX/50 index down 2.37 percent and all of the major US indexes lower by well over 2 percent, caps off the worst-ever yearly opening for Wall Street.
Wal-Mart to close 269 stores worldwide
By Nick Barrickman, 16 January 2016
The big box retailer cited as causes for the closures competition with online retailers and the impact of marginal employee wage increases.
Wave of selling hits US markets
By Nick Beams, 14 January 2016
The sharp downturn in US markets has come amid a series of statements by banking officials that the conditions for a new financial crisis are rapidly developing.
The US in 2016: No money for social programs, cash to burn for the military
By Andre Damon, 12 January 2016
The US will spend hundreds of billions of dollars this year on warships, nuclear warheads and supersonic fighters, even as there is “no money” for vital social programs like food stamps.
Chinese markets continue to fall, amid mounting concerns over growth
By Nick Beams, 12 January 2016
The Shenzhen Composite Index has fallen by more than 20 percent so far this year, wiping off almost $1 trillion from share values.
Global markets continue to fall
By Nick Beams, 9 January 2016
The impact of events in China points to the worsening situation facing major Western corporations.
US jobs report: Employment numbers obscure deeper social crisis
By Tom Hall, 9 January 2016
While the economy unexpectedly added 292,000 jobs last month according to government figures, the situation facing American workers continues to worsen.
Survey finds a majority of Americans unable to pay for major unexpected expenses
By Nick Barrickman, 9 January 2016
Less than four in 10 Americans are able to pay out of pocket for an emergency expense of $1,000, such as an emergency room visit or the cost of repairing a broken down vehicle.
Stock markets continue to plunge amidst growing signs of economic crisis
By Andre Damon, 8 January 2016
The continued sell-off points to growing fears of a divergence between stock market values, which have been rising for nearly six years, and the slowdown of the world economy.
Global financial turmoil continues on fears of slower growth
By Nick Beams, 7 January 2016
The fall in oil prices to their lowest level in 11 years points to deepening recessionary trends that increase the risk of defaults in high-risk, high-yield bonds.
190 Muslim workers fired from Colorado meatpacking plant
By Tom Hall, 7 January 2016
The workers, mostly Somali refugees, walked off the job last month in protest after management at the Cargill plant refused to allow them prayer time at sundown.
IMF head warns of slow growth and economic “shocks” in 2016
By Barry Grey, 31 December 2015
IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde wrote that global economic growth next year would be “disappointing” and the outlook for the medium term had also deteriorated.
A New Year’s sense of foreboding over the global economy
By Nick Beams, 30 December 2015
Economic developments in 2015 were dominated by intensifying recessionary trends throughout the world economy.
Ruthless cuts in West Virginia public employee health care
By Clement Daly, 29 December 2015
A large budget shortfall in the state’s Public Employees Insurance Agency has prompted “draconian” cuts to the health care of more than 200,000 state workers and retirees.
WTO buries Doha Round: Another rupture in the post-war order
By Nick Beams, 22 December 2015
The decision to end the Doha Round signifies the end of the multilateralism that formed a crucial foundation of post-World War II economic expansion.
After Fed rate hike, global economic fault lines deepen
By Nick Beams, 19 December 2015
The growing turbulence in financial markets is a manifestation of deepening recessionary trends in the global economy.
US Congress passes $1.8 trillion spending and tax package
By Kate Randall, 19 December 2015
The deal includes restrictions on the visa-waiver program and a cybersecurity measure that removes restrictions on direct information sharing by companies with government agencies.
Federal Reserve begins “dovish tightening” with first rate hike in nine years
By Barry Grey, 17 December 2015
Fed Chair Janet Yellen stressed that further increases would be incremental and gradual and interest rates would remain abnormally low, triggering a sharp rise in US stock prices.
Junk bond crisis brings “stress” warning
By Nick Beams, 15 December 2015
The price of oil is at its lowest point for seven years with natural gas prices at the lowest level in more than a decade, sparking a crisis in the bond markets.
Junk bond panic signals new stage in crisis of world capitalism
By Barry Grey, 14 December 2015
The mounting crisis in the junk bond market has profound and convulsive implications for the entire credit system, in the US and internationally.
Stocks plunge amid fears of global slump and credit meltdown
By Barry Grey, 12 December 2015
The global slowdown, reflected in collapsing prices for oil and other basic commodities, is now wreaking havoc on the corporate bond market.
Chemical giants DuPont and Dow in “advanced talks” about merger
By Gabriel Black, 11 December 2015
Two of the world’s largest chemical companies could merge in a move to cut costs amidst a deepening economic slump.
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