PG&E rates are already among the highest in the country and have increased by 40% over the last decade compared to 15% nationwide. But the reality is that rates would be far higher if PG&E had spent more on insulating equipment, clearing overgrown vegetation and taking other precautionary measures to reduce wildfire hazards. The PUC […]
Banks and smaller companies that were among the market’s laggards last quarter have helped stocks to their best January in 30 years, a sign investors are favoring sectors tied to the U.S. economy. Despite a modest performance from U.S. indexes Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both closed the month with […]
The U.S. economy’s brief flirtation with 3% growth is over for now, economists say, cut short by a dimming global outlook, market tremors and sluggish business investment. Gross domestic product, or the total value of goods and services produced in the U.S., grew at a 2.6% annual rate in the fourth quarter, economists estimate in […]
Railroad executives played down concerns about a cooling U.S. economy, which they said remains on solid footing as growing shipments of grain, oil and e-commerce packages offset broader worries over trade policy and volatile stock markets. The chief executives of CSX Corp. and Union Pacific Corp. said conversations with their shippers, which represent a broad […]
Compensation for American workers grew more slowly in the fourth quarter than the third. The employment-cost index, a measure of wages and benefits for civilian workers, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.7% from October through December, the Labor Department said Thursday. The gain was slightly short of expectations of economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal […]
Consumer confidence dropped in January for a third consecutive month, likely hit by political discord in Washington, in addition to market and economic uncertainty weighing on U.S. households. The Conference Board on Tuesday said its index of U.S. consumer confidence fell to 120.2 in January from 126.6. It is now down 17.7 points from October, […]
Tested in January by a 35-day government shutdown, market volatility and uncertainty about global growth, the U.S. labor market passed with high marks, notching its 100th straight month of increased employment and sustaining robust wage growth. Nonfarm payrolls increased a seasonally adjusted 304,000 in January, the Labor Department said Friday. The gain was well above […]
A gauge of layoffs across the U.S. fell last week to the lowest level since 1969, suggesting the labor market remains on solid ground despite concerns of slowing economic growth. Initial jobless claims declined by 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 199,000 in the week ended Jan. 19, the Labor Department said Thursday. This marks the […]
Los Angeles officials are socking away money for the next recession. The nation’s second-largest city has set aside close to $500 million across several funds to help weather emergencies and financial shocks, said Matt Szabo, Mayor Eric Garcetti’s top budget adviser. It had about $192 million in reserves before the last recession, which officially lasted […]
The number of Americans without health insurance jumped to its highest level in four years, new figures show, a trend that pits Democrats who say the White House is sabotaging the Affordable Care Act against Republicans who blame high premiums under the law for locking people out of coverage. The percentage of adults without health […]
Home sales tumbled in December to their weakest level since 2015, ending a difficult year at a new low and offering fresh evidence that the housing market could be in for a bumpy ride in 2019. Some of the same forces that pounded global financial markets in the fourth quarter caused home buyers to pull […]
Global climate change is a serious problem calling for immediate national action. Guided by sound economic principles, we are united in the following policy recommendations. I. A carbon tax offers the most cost-effective lever to reduce carbon emissions at the scale and speed that is necessary. By correcting a well-known market failure, a carbon tax […]
An all-star roster of former Federal Reserve leaders and White House economic advisers are signing on to a new statement in support of a carbon tax on businesses that sends the revenue to U.S. citizens. Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan and former Council of Economic Advisers chief Austan Goolsbee are among dozens of economists now […]
The Federal Reserve has linked rising student debt to a drop in homeownership among young Americans and the flight of college graduates from rural areas, two big shifts that have helped reshape the U.S. economy. The effect of student debt on the economy has been debated in recent years, as the total has soared to […]
Tesla Inc.plans to eliminate 7% of its full-time workforce, the auto maker’s second round of job cuts in a year as it tries to maintain profitability while lowering the price of its Model 3 sedan. The maker of electric vehicles has been jacking up production of the Model 3 while chasing its long-held dream of […]