Transportation Economy News Updates

The economy has added millions of jobs and pay gains have accelerated in recent years, but Americans aren’t crazy about their work.

U.S. small-business sentiment fell to near the lowest level of Donald Trump’s presidency, as tariffs and economic uncertainty increasingly weigh on the outlook for owners across the country.

The global economy flashed clearer warning signs Oct. 1 as a wave of data showed manufacturing stuck in a slump, exports falling and sentiment sliding.

WASHINGTON — U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell this week following a sharp rise the week before, making September the most volatile month for the key 30-year loan since March.

The U.S. economy grew at a modest 2% annual rate in the second quarter, a pace sharply lower than the 3%-plus growth rates seen over the past year. Many analysts believe growth will slow further in coming quarters as global weakness and rising trade tensions exert a toll.

Optimism among U.S. small-business owners fell in August to the lowest level in five months, with the outlook for the economy and sales slumping amid escalating trade tensions and recession fears.

A downward trend in trailer orders this year is accompanying the softening freight environment in 2019, but also follows a banner year when motor carriers stocked up on equipment they think they’ll need to navigate the next several years, fleet and manufacturing executives said.

Experts in the fields of manufacturing, logistics and the petroleum industry are scheduled to participate in American Trucking Associations’ economic summit in September.

The likelihood of a U.S. recession in the next 12 months rose to 35% in an August survey of economists, from 31% forecast previously, as global trade tensions fuel economic uncertainty.

The escalating trade war between the U.S. and China is nudging the world economy toward its first recession in a decade with investors demanding politicians and central bankers act fast to change course.