Category: Business

It's going to be a cozy Christmas this year as more Americans shop for comfortable apparel and accessories like fuzzy sweatshirts and sweaters, pajamas, socks and slippers. “I think we’re overstressed and the coziness is maybe an escape to a better time," says industry analyst…

A group of young female business owners in Guinea Bissau have banded together to increase their business knowledge. They say the cooperation is increasing sales. From street vendors to women who own their own shops, Adele Gomes likes to encourage young female entrepreneurs in Guinea…

U.S. President Donald Trump boasted Monday of his "very strong and personal relationship" with Chinese President Xi Jinping, declaring a new U.S.-China trade deal would immediately allow American farmers to sell more of their products to Beijing. Stock markets in Asia and Europe jumped sharply…

China's president on Sunday signed new trade deals with Argentina as the Asian giant expands its growing role in Latin American economies. Presidents Mauricio Macri of Argentina and Xi Jinping of China announced the more than 30 agriculture and investment deals during a state visit…

U.S. President Donald Trump has returned home from the Group of 20 meeting of the world’s top economies. After the curtain came down on the summit, the spotlight lingered on the leaders of the two top economies. As VOA’s White House bureau chief Steve Herman…

The data stolen from the Marriott hotel empire in a massive breach is so rich and specific it could be used for espionage, identity theft, reputation attacks and even home burglaries, security experts say. Hackers stole data on as many as 500 million guests of former…

A U.S. judge in California has granted preliminary approval of a $48 million settlement for investors who said Volkswagen AG made false and misleading statements about its excess diesel emissions.  Lawyers for the investors, who include police and other municipal pension funds, had estimated that the maximum they could have…

U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto have signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement, a deal designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports. ...

During Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's successful campaign for the Mexican presidency, his advisers met representatives of dozens of investment funds to allay fears about the leftist's plans, saying he prized economic stability and wanted to attract foreign capital. Initially, it worked. When Lopez Obrador won…

It may be the world’s sixth largest, but most other things about India’s economy are up for debate. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is under fire for the release of new historical GDP figures that significantly downgraded growth during the years the opposition Congress…

Police raided six Deutsche Bank offices in and around Frankfurt on Thursday over money laundering allegations linked to the "Panama Papers", the public prosecutor's office in Germany's financial capital said. Investigators are looking into the activities of two unnamed Deutsche Bank employees alleged to have…

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that new auto tariffs were "being studied now," asserting they could prevent job cuts such as the U.S. layoffs and plant closures that General Motors Co. announced this week.    Trump said on Twitter that the 25 percent tariff…

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell boosted U.S. stock markets on Wednesday when he said interest rates were “just below" estimates of a level that neither brakes nor boosts a healthy economy. Many took his comments as a signal that the Fed's three-year tightening cycle is ending. …

U.S. President Donald Trump touted the use of U.S. tariffs on foreign small trucks Wednesday, saying their placement on other foreign vehicles would have prevented the closure of several General Motors plants and the loss of thousands of coveted manufacturing jobs. Trump noted on Twitter…

U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Wednesday that while there was "a great deal to like" about U.S. prospects, the Fed's gradual interest rate hikes are meant to balance risks as it tries to keep the economy on track. "We know that things…

An airport worker drops by Warsaw's newest Ikea store during her lunch break to finish up plans for a home refurbishment. Around her, people drift in and out of the shop, placing small houseware items in big yellow bags as cafe tables fill up with…

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Tuesday to cut subsidies for General Motors after the largest U.S. automaker said it would halt production at five plants in North America and cut nearly 15,000 jobs. "The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we…

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could reach a new trade deal between the world's two largest economies when they meet in Argentina this weekend, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Tuesday. "The president said there is a good possibility that…

British and Dutch regulators have fined ride-hailing company Uber $1.2 million for what it said were inadequate security measures that left personal data at risk for a cyber attack. The fines are linked to a 2016 hack of Uber data that allowed attackers to download…

Fishing communities along Africa's coastline are at a greater risk of extinction as countries eye oceans for tourism, industrial fishing and exploration revenue to jumpstart their "blue economies," U.N. experts and activists said on Monday. The continent's 38 coastal and island states have in recent…

The European Union and Iran are affirming their support for the international nuclear deal and say they aim to keep it alive despite U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to abandon the landmark pact. Ahead of EU-Iran talks on civil nuclear cooperation in Brussels Monday, EU…

U.S. tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a move by the Trump administration to bolster the domestic industry and protect U.S. jobs, are just starting to have a far-reaching impact on different sectors of the U.S. economy, including the growing craft beer industry. As VOA’s…

It took Britain’s Theresa May and 27 other European Union leaders just 40 minutes to sign the Brexit deal after two years of tortuous negotiations, but the trials and tribulations of Britain's withdrawal agreement approved Sunday in Brussels are far from over. As they endorsed…

U.S. stocks closed lower after a shortened session Friday, bumping the benchmark S&P 500 index into a correction, or drop of 10 percent below its most recent all-time high in September.    Energy companies led the market slide as the price of U.S. crude oil…

It would have been easy to turn on their computers at home over plates of leftover turkey and take advantage of the Black Friday deals most retailers now offer online.      But across the country, thousands of shoppers flocked to stores on Thanksgiving or woke…

China will go along with changes meant to update global trade rules so long as they protect Beijing’s status as a developing country, a Cabinet official said Friday. The deputy commerce minister, Wang Shouwen, said any changes also must address protectionism and abuse of export…

Some of Amazon’s workers in Europe are protesting against what they call unfair work conditions, in a move meant to disrupt operations on Black Friday. Amazon Spain said around 90 percent of workers at a logistics depot in near Madrid joined a walkout Friday. Only…

Zimbabwe's finance minister has unveiled the country's 2019 budget. Mthuli Ncube says the plan should help restore the economy of the southern African nation after years of recession. "Madam Speaker, ma'am, in conclusion, this budget should mark a turning point towards realizing the country's vision…