Economy Week Ahead: Services, Jobless Claims and Inflation

Service-sector, unemployment and inflation measures highlight a relatively quiet week for official economic data. 


 
European Stocks Drift Lower With U.S. Markets Shut

European stocks fell, with trading volumes down as American markets were shut for the Independence Day holiday and investors took stock of a surge in coronavirus infections in the U.S. 


 
China Is Unlikely to Meet Purchase Targets for U.S. Energy

Economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has cast doubt on whether China can meet its targets to buy U.S. goods under this year's trade deal-with energy emerging as the biggest casualty. 


 
Don't Know How Much Stimulus Is Needed? Put It on Autopilot, Some Say

With the Federal Reserve unable to cut interest rates, the U.S. budget should have stronger "automatic stabilizers," some say, such as by tying unemployment insurance benefit generosity to the unemployment rate. 


 
Oil Crash Crushes Individual Investors, Prompts Trading Overhaul

Many amateur investors got burned in an April price crash as some market professionals thrived, leading mutual-fund companies, traders and others to change their practices to try to prevent future collapses. 


 
Celebrations Are Subdued as U.S. Virus Cases Surge

Americans celebrated a scaled-back Fourth of July, with many events canceled and officials urging people to take extra precautions as the U.S. recorded more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases for a third consecutive day. 


 
Coronavirus Is No Cure for Health-Care Stocks

The S&P 500's health-care sector finished June as the second-worst performer of the index's 11 groups, a shift from earlier this year when the stocks offered shelter during market turbulence. 


 
Gasoline Is Cheap This July Fourth. Fuel Retailers Aren't Complaining.

Drivers hitting the road over July Fourth weekend are poised to enjoy the cheapest holiday gasoline prices in years, but the gas stations are doing OK, too. 


 
French, Spanish Services Sectors Returned to Growth in June

The services sectors in France and Spain returned to growth in June, while those of Germany and Italy saw much smaller declines in activity than in recent months, according to surveys of purchasing managers published Friday. 


 
China's Economy Regains Strength After Strict Coronavirus Measures

Economic activity is gathering momentum in China, a raft of survey data showed, the latest sign that Beijing's uncompromising approach to the coronavirus pandemic is starting to pay dividends even as the U.S. shuts down swaths of its economy in a struggle to contain the virus.