Lucia Mutikani

The U.S. government posted a lower $173 billion deficit in November as tariffs on imports helped to boost revenues, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.

U.S. labor costs increased slightly less than expected in the third quarter as a softening labor market curbed wage growth, which bodes well for the inflation outlook.

U.S. job openings increased marginally in October after surging in September, but subdued hiring and the lowest level of resignations in five years underscored the economic uncertainty that economists have largely blamed on tariffs.

U.S. consumer spending increased moderately in September after three straight months of solid gains, suggesting a loss of momentum in the economy at the end of the third quarter as a lackluster labor market and rising cost of living curbed demand.

Hiring intentions continued to lag as businesses navigated an uncertain economic environment.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell to a more than three-year low last week, allaying fears of a sharp deterioration in labor market conditions after independent surveys showed job losses in November.

U.S. factory production was unchanged in September as manufacturing remained constrained by tariffs on imports.

U.S. private payrolls posted their biggest drop in more than two and a half years in November as small businesses shed jobs, but the weakness is probably not a true reflection of the labor market's health, with recent government data showing still-low layoffs.

U.S. manufacturing contracted for the ninth straight month in November, with factories facing slumping orders and higher prices for inputs as the drag from import tariffs persisted.

The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits fell to a seven-month low last week, suggesting layoffs remained low, though the labor market is struggling to generate enough jobs for those out of work amid economic uncertainty.