Courtenay Brown

1 day ago | axios.com | Courtenay Brown

A worker inside a Gap store in New York earlier this week. Photo: Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe U.S. economy added 139,000 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate held at 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday. Why it matters: The labor market's headline numbers were healthy as President Trump's volatile trade war played out last month. Forecasters anticipated the economy would add 125,000 jobs in May.

2 days ago | axios.com | Courtenay Brown

European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde at a news conference in Frankfurt, Germany in April. Photo: Liesa Johannssen/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe European Central Bank cut interest rates by a quarter-percentage point again on Thursday, the latest attempt to help a euro area economy hit by the President Trump's trade war. Why it matters: Trade negotiations between the U.S. and the European Union have been rocky, with just weeks to go before each side unleashes higher tariffs.

3 days ago | axios.com | Courtenay Brown |Neil Irwin

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/AxiosIn case there were any doubt, Wednesday's developments put them to rest. If the economy starts to seriously buckle due to the trade war, President Trump will blame the Federal Reserve and its leader, Jerome Powell. The big picture: Trump has made no secret that he thinks the Fed should be proactively cutting interest rates to ease the pain of any economic bumps ahead — despite the inflation risk also fueled by tariffs.

3 days ago | axios.com | Courtenay Brown

President Trump announces he will nominate Jerome Powell to lead the Federal Reserve in 2017. Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPresident Trump demanded on Wednesday that Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell lower interest rates, minutes after an economic report showed sluggish private sector hiring in May. Why it matters: Trump, who met with Powell last week, has been pressuring the Fed to lower borrowing costs since taking office.

3 days ago | axios.com | Courtenay Brown

Illustration: Megan Robinson/AxiosAmerican manufacturers are having pandemic flashbacks: some say tariff disruptions are starting to stack up to the COVID era, with nearly as much difficulty securing critical inputs. Why it matters: Tariffs were supposed to spur a manufacturing renaissance, not bring the manufacturing economy grinding to a halt. The big picture: Factories are reporting increasingly longer delivery times for supplies. Material prices are rising at a faster rate.