Manufacturing sector performance
A sign displays the price of a 65-inch television lined up with countless other televisions in a Costco warehouse on Thursday, June 17, 2021, in Loen Tree, Colo. The Commerce Department said Thursday, June 24 that growth in the gross domestic product, the country’s total output of goods and services, was unchanged from two previous estimates.(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
US economy grows 6.4% in Q1, and it's likely just the start

By Martin Crutsinger Jun. 24, 2021 09:58 AM EDT

US retail sales fell 1.3% in May, chip shortage dings autos

By Joseph Pisani Jun. 15, 2021 08:54 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — Retail sales fell in May, dragged down by a decline in auto sales, likely due to fewer cars being made amid a pandemic-related shortage of...

In this May 26, 2021 photo, a sign for workers hangs in the window of a shop along Main Street in Deadwood, S.D. U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs in May, an improvement from April’s sluggish gain but still evidence that many companies are struggling to find enough workers as the economy rapidly recovers from the pandemic recession. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
US economy: Plenty of growth, not enough workers or supplies

By Paul Wiseman Jun. 05, 2021 10:03 AM EDT

A man walks into 5th Avenue Deli and Grill, Friday, June 4, 2021, in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. Hiring in the United States picked up in May yet was slowed again by the struggles of many companies to find enough workers to keep up with the economy's swift recovery from the pandemic recession. U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said Friday, an improvement from April's sluggish increase of 278,000. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
US businesses struggle to fill jobs even as hiring picks up

By Christopher Rugaber Jun. 04, 2021 12:01 AM EDT

Midwest economy report stays strong, shows inflation worries

Jun. 01, 2021 12:06 PM EDT
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economy in nine Midwest and Plains states remains strong in the wake of a devastating global pandemic, according to new monthly survey...

FILE - In this Thursday, April 22, 2021 file photo, Marie Tibbott sorts product at EIP Manufacturing in Earlville, Iowa. Growth in U.S. manufacturing picked up in May, even as supply chain problems persist and businesses continue to struggle to find workers. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Tuesday, June 1 that its index of manufacturing activity rose in May to a reading of 61.2 from 60.7 in April. (Jessica Reilly/Telegraph Herald via AP, File)
US manufacturing activity grows for the 12th straight month

By Matt Ott Jun. 01, 2021 10:11 AM EDT

A worker arranges the business suits at Shandong Daiyin Textile and Garment Group factory in Tai'an in east China's Shandong province on Saturday, May 29, 2021. China's manufacturing held steady in May, a survey showed Monday, adding to signs a post-pandemic rebound is leveling off. (Chinatopix via AP)
China's manufacturing holds steady, rebound leveling off

May. 31, 2021 12:37 AM EDT

In this aerial photo, a General Motors assembly plant is seen at top right while mid-sized pickup trucks and full-size vans currently produced at the plant are seen in a parking lot outside Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Wentzville, Mo. The Commerce Department reported Thursday, May 27, that orders for factory goods meant to last at least three years fell 1.3% in April after rising 1.3% in March. Transportation orders skidded 6.7%. Excluding transportation, which can be volatile from month to month, durable goods orders were up 1% in April. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
U.S. durable goods orders drop 1.3% in April

By Paul Wiseman May. 27, 2021 08:45 AM EDT

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 2, 2021, file photo, a woman, wearing a protective mask due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak, walks past the signs of an employment agency, in Manchester, N.H. Companies are advertising more jobs than they were before the pandemic, when the unemployment rate was a 50-year low of 3.5%. So they clearly want to add workers. Yet hiring stumbled in April because many employers couldn't find as many as they needed. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
EXPLAINER: Did US hiring slow because of a ‘labor shortage’?

By Christopher Rugaber May. 08, 2021 10:43 AM EDT

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 file photo, A man walks out of a Marc's Store in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. With viral cases declining, consumers spending again and more businesses easing restrictions, America's employers likely delivered another month of robust hiring in April, reinforcing the economy's steady rebound from the pandemic recession. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
US job growth slows sharply in sign of hiring struggles

By Christopher Rugaber May. 07, 2021 12:01 AM EDT

FILE - In this Wednesday, April 28, 2021 file photo, an employee manually assembles a circuit-board element before a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of a Nanotronics manufacturing center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Growth in U.S. manufacturing slowed slightly in April, reflecting in part supply-chain troubles, after hitting a 37-year high in March. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, Pool)
Growth in US manufacturing slowed in April from March high

By Martin Crutsinger May. 03, 2021 10:23 AM EDT

Editorial Roundup: South Carolina

By The Associated Press Apr. 28, 2021 01:30 PM EDT
(Charleston) Post and Courier. April 26, 2021. Editorial: With SC legislative session winding down, bad ideas are in no short supply ...

FILE - In this Oct. 29, 2020 file photo, worker Javad Memarzadeh, of Needham, Mass., right, dusts washers on a display, at a Home Depot location, in Boston. Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rebounded 0.5% in March as U.S. factories recovered from frigid February weather disruptions. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rebound in March

By Martin Crutsinger Apr. 26, 2021 10:11 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 1, 2020 file photo, traffic passes the Boeing airplane production plant, in Everett, Wash. U.S. manufacturers expanded in March 2021 at the fastest pace in 37 years, a sign of strengthening demand as the pandemic wanes and government emergency aid flows through the economy. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, file)
US factory activity expands at fastest pace since 1983

By Christopher Rugaber Apr. 01, 2021 10:26 AM EDT

Illinois-made 'Coolest Thing' keeps ice off traffic lights

Mar. 29, 2021 07:44 AM EDT
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The next time you're in a blinding snowstorm but can clearly see the traffic signal ahead, thank the producers of “The Coolest Thing...

The buildings of the banking district are seen during sunrise in Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, March 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Survey: Jump in German business optimism despite pandemic

Mar. 26, 2021 08:54 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2020 file photo, a woman carries shopping bags in New York. The nation’s largest retail trade group is forecasting strong retail sales growth in 2021 that could surpass last year's pace as individuals get vaccinated and the economy reopens. The National Retail Federation anticipates that retail sales will grow between 6.5% and 8.2% to more than $4.33 trillion this year. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
US consumers rebound to boost spending 2.4% as income jumps

By Martin Crutsinger Feb. 26, 2021 08:42 AM EST

This Oct. 29, 2020 file photo, a passer-by walks past stoves on display at a Home Depot location, in Boston. Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket goods shot up 3.4% in January 2021, pulled up by surge in orders for civilian aircraft. A category that tracks business investment posted a more modest gain, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, Feb. 24. .(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Orders for U.S. durable goods climb 3.4% in January

By Paul Wiseman Feb. 25, 2021 08:47 AM EST

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2021 file photo, a woman walks past a "Now Hiring" sign displayed at a CD One Price Cleaners in Schaumburg, Ill. In a stark sign of the economic inequality that has marked the pandemic recession and recovery, Americans as a whole are now earning the same amount of wages and salaries that they did before the pandemic struck, even with nearly 9 million fewer people at work. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
Sign of inequality: US salaries recover even as jobs haven't

By Christopher Rugaber Feb. 12, 2021 11:44 AM EST

German industrial production flat after 7 months of gains

Feb. 08, 2021 03:05 AM EST
BERLIN (AP) — Industrial production in Germany, Europe's biggest economy, stagnated in December after seven consecutive months of gains, official data showed...