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Shoppers wearing protective masks carry bags in the Broadway Plaza Shopping Center in Walnut Creek, California.

Retail sales were flat in April as stimulus spending wanes

Friday's report comes amid other signs the economy is improving as vaccinations accelerate and business restrictions are relaxed.

US jobless claims drop to another record low since the start of the pandemic

The number of weekly jobless claims — a rough measure of the pace of layoffs — has fallen significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January. Instead of cutting jobs, many employers are struggling to attract enough applicants for open positions.

Have no fear: This inflation is temporary

The government released its latest report on inflation, and there were certainly some eye-popping price spikes. But the Fed isn’t about to cut off the flow of cheap money that’s buoyed financial markets since the Great Recession.

Consumer prices in US increase by most since 2009

US consumer prices climbed in April by the most since 2009, signaling a build-up in inflationary pressures as burgeoning demand gives companies latitude to pass on higher costs.

larry edelman
A sign advertising job openings at a restaurant in Detroit in May. Hiring in the hospitality and leisure sector was robust in April, but job growth overall was surprisingly weak.
The jobs report is too bad to be true: The economy will be fine
The current economic boom — powered by vaccinations, the easing of COVID restrictions, and massive federal stimulus spending — hasn’t run out of gas. Not even close.

The New York Stock Exchange.
Stocks rally to records after grim jobs data undercuts rates
Stocks are rallying toward records on Wall Street Friday despite a grim report that showed hiring fell off sharply across the country last month.

Latest Headlines in Economy

A Help Wanted sign hangs in the window of a restaurant in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York.

US economy added 266,000 jobs in April, fewer than expected as hiring slows

America’s employers added just 266,000 jobs last month, sharply lower than in March and a sign that some businesses are struggling to find enough workers as the economic recovery strengthens.

Customers in an outdoor seating area of a restaurant in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York on Tuesday, May 4. Some restaurants in New York City are starting to hire employees so that they can increase their indoor dining to 75 percent of capacity starting May 7.

US jobless claims dip to 498,000, another record low since the start of the pandemic

The number of weekly jobless claims — a rough measure of the pace of layoffs — has declined significantly from a peak of 900,000 in January as employers have ramped up hiring.

Larry Edelman
Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Inflation spike will likely be short-lived, Boston Fed president says

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston president Eric Rosengren said the increases will be driven mostly by pandemic-related forces that will recede over time.

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh speaks at a press briefing at the White House in April.

Under Marty Walsh, Trump-era rule that made it harder for gig workers to get minimum wage is withdrawn

The Labor Department is rescinding a rule that made it harder for gig and contract workers to argue they were entitled to minimum wage and overtime protections, part of a push to undo Trump-era decisions that favored businesses and employers.

Charles James, co-owner of CrimsonBikes in Cambridge, trains sales runner Solomon Sakakeeny-Smith. Bike shops have been dealing with shortages during the pandemic.

Shopping for a bike leaves some spinning their wheels

For the second year in a row, retailers are struggling to keep up with consumer demand.

A pedestrian walks along a near-deserted street on Thursday during a lockdown imposed to try and contain the spread of COVID-19 in Mumbai.

India and other virus hot spots across the globe could disrupt the economic recovery in Massachusetts

Mumbai is half a world away from Massachusetts, but the deepening COVID-19 crisis there, and throughout India, drives home how much we’ve got riding on other nations getting the pandemic under control.

Nancy Donnelly from South Boston shopping at the L.L.Bean store in the Seaport District in Boston.

US economy grew at a robust 6.4 percent rate last quarter as recovery from pandemic accelerated

Economists say that widespread vaccinations, the reopening of more businesses, a huge infusion of federal spending and healthy job gains should help sustain steady growth.

Ristorante Lucia restaurant's owner, Philip Frattaroli sets up tables in the courtyard.

US jobless claims drop to 553,000, another record low since the start of the pandemic

Employers are beginning to complain that they can’t find workers — despite an elevated unemployment rate. Americans may be reluctant to return to work because they still fear contracting the virus or because they need to care for children who haven’t returned to school.