Commerce Department

Billionaire investor Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary nominee for U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, arrives Wednesday for his Senate confirmation hearing. Ross is warning America's trading partners to practice "fair trade" and cut state control over busin

Wilbur Ross' Confirmation Hearing Highlights Divide Among GOP On Trade

10:25pm January 18, 2017

by Chris Arnold

The Commerce Secretary nominee signaled that the Trump administration would respond aggressively to trade violations, but several GOP senators worried that such confrontations could harm the economy.

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U.S. Economy Grew By Just 1.2 Percent During 2nd Quarter

12:27pm July 29, 2016

by Jim Zarroli

While consumers continue to spend, business investment was down, suggesting that companies are growing nervous about the future.

A worker stokes a burning cauldron at a steel mill in Hefei, in eastern China's Anhui province in 2011. Chinese steelmakers are overproducing, hurting prices and jobs, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker says.

World's Steelmakers To China: Time To Cut The Glut

7:30pm April 20, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker says the United States will join other nations in trying to curb China's steel output. Chinese steelmakers are overproducing, hurting prices and jobs, she says.

U.S. Economic Growth Slowed Considerably In 3rd Quarter

11:59am October 29, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

Growth came in at a 1.5 percent annual rate, a sharp slowdown from the 3.9 percent gain in the previous quarter. Companies cut back on the amount of goods on shelves, but consumers continued to spend.

Bigger paychecks plus lower prices add up to more buying power for consumers.

Wages And Prices: A Welcome Breakup

1:49pm March 02, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

A Commerce Department report shows paychecks are fatter, prices are leaner and Americans are saving more. Meanwhile, prices fell by 0.5 percent. That's helping consumers on the rebound from recession.