Hiring tumbled in February, with U.S. employers adding just 20,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half. The slowdown in hiring, though, might have been depressed by harsh winter weather and the partial shutdown of the government. Last month’s weak gain came after employers had added a blockbuster 311,000 jobs in January, the most in nearly a year. Over the past three months, job growth has averaged a solid 186,000, enough to lower the unemployment rate over time.   And despite the tepid pace of …

Hiring tumbled in February, with U.S. employers adding just 20,000 jobs, the smallest monthly gain in nearly a year and a half. The slowdown in hiring, though, might have been depressed by harsh winter weather and the partial shutdown of the government. Last month’s weak gain came after employers had added a blockbuster 311,000 jobs in January, the most in nearly a year. Over the past three months, job growth has averaged a solid 186,000, enough to lower the unemployment rate over time.   And despite the tepid pace of …

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will not sign a trade deal with China unless it is a “very good deal.” Trump made the comments Friday as he left the White House to tour tornado damage in the southern U.S. state of Alabama. The United States and China have been battling over trade tariffs since last year. The White House is planning a summit between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Florida later this year. “If this isn’t a great deal, I won’t make a deal,” Trump said. Then …

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has undocked from the International Space Station. The Dragon pulled away from the station early Friday, and an Atlantic Ocean splashdown is expected Friday morning. The Dragon brought supplies and equipment to the space station where it stayed five days as astronauts conducted tests and inspected the Dragon’s cabin. The crew capsule did not have any humans aboard, just a test dummy named Ripley, a reference to the lead character in the “Alien” movies. Ripley was riddled with sensors to monitor how flight in the …

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has undocked from the International Space Station. The Dragon pulled away from the station early Friday, and an Atlantic Ocean splashdown is expected Friday morning. The Dragon brought supplies and equipment to the space station where it stayed five days as astronauts conducted tests and inspected the Dragon’s cabin. The crew capsule did not have any humans aboard, just a test dummy named Ripley, a reference to the lead character in the “Alien” movies. Ripley was riddled with sensors to monitor how flight in the …

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday called Venezuela one of the most “complex situations” it had ever seen.    IMF spokesman Gerry Rice described Venezuela and its economy as a combination of “food and nutrition crises, hyperinflation, a destabilized exchange rate, debilitating human capital and physical productive capacity, and a very complicated debt situation.”    Rice said tackling this challenge would take “strong resolve” and “broad international support” from all 189 IMF members.    IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told The Economist Radio, a podcast, that the fund would help …

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday called Venezuela one of the most “complex situations” it had ever seen.    IMF spokesman Gerry Rice described Venezuela and its economy as a combination of “food and nutrition crises, hyperinflation, a destabilized exchange rate, debilitating human capital and physical productive capacity, and a very complicated debt situation.”    Rice said tackling this challenge would take “strong resolve” and “broad international support” from all 189 IMF members.    IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde told The Economist Radio, a podcast, that the fund would help …