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One man's crisis of confidence in China

Oct 2, 2023
China’s economy has not been recovering as fast as hoped for after the zero-COVID policy ended, partly due to a lack of confidence.
A bustling market in China's Liaoning province. China's economy has not rebounded as quickly as anticipated, partly because of a lack of confidence among its people.
STR/AFP via Getty Images

Do you find the economy confusing? So do professional economists

Jul 18, 2023
"We don't quite know what we're doing these days," said one economist.
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Is GDP still a useful gauge of China's economy?

Jul 17, 2023
There is a longstanding debate about whether the data is accurate. Some are skeptical of government officials' projections of 5% growth.
Crowds at Chengdu city's Taikoo Li commercial district. Chinese shoppers are consuming more, but not enough to offset weakness in the real estate sector and boost the sluggish economy. (Jennifer Pak/Marketplace)
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

For business owners in China, a touch-and-go reopening after zero-COVID

Jan 30, 2023
While China's most high-profile executives express unflagging optimism on TV, for small business owners, the picture is more complicated.
Food vendors at the Muslim quarter in Xi'an seem bored without customers in late December 2022. That was when COVID infections swept across China.
Jennifer Pak/Marketplace

Have markets reached rock bottom?

Oct 4, 2022
After a spectacular rally in markets, is this the end of the road for the bear market or a detour?
Stocks rallied Monday, but are still a long way from recovering from their bear market dips.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Black workers could suffer more in employment slowdown

Sep 2, 2022
"The Black workforce is the canary in the coal mine," said Howard University's Bill Spriggs. "They’re already suffering."
Black workers now account for 20% of the transportation and utilities workforce.
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

The job market is slowing but not stalling out

Jul 26, 2022
It's unlikely a crash in employment would prompt a recession. In spite of a slowdown in job creation, the job market remains relatively strong.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Lowest-paid workers will likely feel the pinch of cooling economy first

Jun 23, 2022
Those same workers have seen their wages grow faster than the overall average in the last year thanks to the labor shortage.
Workers in low-paid environments, like restaurants and bars, saw some of the biggest wage gains during the pandemic.
Scott Heins/Getty Images

Millions have joined the labor force in the past year

Jun 3, 2022
About 3.5 million more people were working or looking for work in May than a year earlier. Economists hope the number keeps rising.
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images

Job openings are still near record highs — and still outnumber applicants

Jun 1, 2022
There are almost two job openings for every unemployed person.
There are almost two openings for every unemployed person. That's good for workers but may be stoking inflation.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images