WASHINGTON — American factories expanded in February for the second straight month, despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

The U.S. trade deficit fell 1.7% last year to $616.8 billion as President Donald Trump hammered China with import taxes.

U.S. factories expanded unexpectedly last month, snapping a five-month losing streak.

WASHINGTON — Higher energy prices lifted U.S. overall consumer prices in November.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in October as imports fell faster than exports. The politically sensitive trade gap with China dropped.

WASHINGTON — China is lifting a five-year ban on U.S. poultry, a goodwill gesture at a time when the world’s two biggest economies are trying to finalize a tentative trade deal.

WASHINGTON — Surging gasoline prices caused U.S. consumer prices to rise last month at the fastest pace since March.

WASHINGTON — U.S. manufacturing output dropped for the third straight month in October as trade tensions and a slowing global economy took a toll on American factories.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign a limited trade agreement Oct. 7 with Japan, a deal that would win back benefits American farmers lost when Trump pulled out of a broader Asia-Pacific pact his first week in office.

Productivity rose at a healthy pace in the second quarter but dropped at American factories, another sign of trouble for manufacturers.