The Canadian stock market ended notably lower on Friday with shares from across several sectors reeling under sustained selling pressure amid concerns about the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

What do the latest unemployment rates mean for the U.S. economy? NPR's Noel King speaks with Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute and Claudia Goldin of Harvard University.

NPR's business correspondent takes listener questions on the state of the U.S. economy and unemployment.

What do the latest unemployment rates mean for the U.S. economy? NPR's Noel King speaks with Heidi Shierholz of the Economic Policy Institute and Claudia Goldin of Harvard University.

NPR's business correspondent takes listener questions on the state of the U.S. economy and unemployment.

Stocks have shown a strong move to the upside in morning trading on Thursday following the mixed performance seen in the previous session. The major averages have all climbed firmly into positive territory after ending Wednesday's trading on opposite sides of the unchanged line.

President Donald Trump said he will announce Thursday new guidelines on easing coronavirus restrictions in the country. The move, aimed to help reopen the ailing U.S. economy, is on the basis of his consultations with governors and business leaders. According to him, the United States has passed the peak of new coronavirus cases and predicted some states would reopen this month. "The data sugg

President Donald Trump announced that the Government was finalising a plan to reopen the U.S. economy, which has been paralyzed due to stay-at-home orders intended to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The social distancing guidelines that the Trump administration announced expire on April 30. At his routine news conference Monday, Trump said he remains determined to reopen the U.S. for bus

The outcome of the monetary policy committee meeting of the Bank of England and the monetary policy report are due on Thursday, headlining a busy day for the European economic news. Policymakers are likely to unanimously vote to hold the benchmark interest rate at 0.10 percent and quantitative easing unchanged at GBP 645 billion.

The Philippine economy contracted for the first time since 1998 as coronavirus containment measures weighed heavily on investment and shipments, official data showed Thursday. Gross domestic product fell 0.2 percent on a yearly basis in the first quarter, in contrast to fourth quarter's revised 6.7 percent expansion, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported.

Final Purchasing Managers' survey data from the UK is due on Tuesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 1.45 am ET, Switzerland's State Secretariat for Economic Affairs releases final consumer confidence survey data. According to initial estimate, the confidence index fell to -40 in April from -9.4 in January.

Indonesia's economic growth eased more than expected in the first quarter as the coronavirus, or Covid-19, outbreak weighed heavily on consumption, investment and tourism, official data showed Tuesday. Gross domestic product climbed 2.97 percent on a yearly basis in the first quarter, much slower than the 4.97 percent expansion seen in the fourth quarter.

Factory orders from Germany and final composite Purchasing Managers' survey from euro area are due on Wednesday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is set to release Germany's factory orders for March. Economists forecast orders to fall 10 percent on month after falling 1.4 percent in February.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Thursday following the mixed performance seen in the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a sharply lower open on Wednesday, with stocks likely to give back ground following the rally seen in the previous session.

Read the latest on US Economic News, World Economic News and more on RTTNews Economic News.

Foreign trade data from Germany is due on Friday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, Destatis is scheduled to issue Germany's external trade figures for March. Exports are forecast to fall 5 percent on month, in contrast to an increase of 1.3 percent in February. Imports are expected to drop 4 percent.

The National Retail Federation's Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz believes the economic recovery in the United States from the Coronavirus crisis would come gradually and may vary by location depending on the severity. His remark comes as more and more stores are reopening across the country after at least 30 U.S. states began easing lockdown restrictions and decided to reopen businesses...

Cheaper beer and the return of the long lunch is on the menu as the hospitality sector tries to revive restaurants, pubs and cafes on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic.

The New Zealand Cabinet will meet on Monday to decide whether restrictions can be eased allowing domestic travel to restart and most businesses to open. There have been four new recorded infections in the past five days, and 90 percent of approximately 1500 confirmed or probable cases, have recovered from the virus. As the New Zealand and Australian economies reopen, a Trans-Tasman travel bubble could emerge as a serious possibility, if both nations continue to effectively flatten their coronavirus curves. Image: Associated Press

This week on Spark, we speak with Martin Rees, the U.K.’s astronomer royal and author of On The Future: Prospects for Humanity, about the challenges humanity will face in the future, and how we might harness technology to tackle them.

A Juno-nominated musician says a generation of songwriters is being lost due to the intense struggle artists face trying to survive financially in an industry dominated by music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.

Rattlesnake skin holds raindrops for drinking, science of imagination and quiet snow

Some provinces will begin reopening their economies next week, a move one public health expert described as a delicate experiment — because so little is known about how many people are immune, or how long any immunity to the COVID-19 virus might last.

Some pundits say capitalism can never recover from Covid-19, and there will need to be bigger government. Others say the future economic recovery rests with the business sector. Guests: Adam Tooze Historian of economic crises Professor of History and Director of the European Institute at Columbia University Rana Foroohar Global economic analyst with CNN, and global business columnist with The Financial Times Percy Allan Economist, and former Secretary of NSW Treasury Public sector advisor Professor at the Institute of Public Policy and Management, UTS and The global pandemic has been revealing in many ways in how people, countries and governments manage the situation. But what is it saying about the two major superpowers, the US and China? And where does that leave Australia, a question which has been on the minds of foreign policy experts for some time; now many of them feel its time has come. Guests: John Prideux, US editor The Economist and host of the podcast, Checks and Balance. Richard McGregor, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute, author of numerous books on East Asia, his latest is Xi Jinping; The Backlash Allan Gyngell, National president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs and host of podcast Australia in the World.

The Prime Minister is urging Australians to start returning to Covid-safe workplaces, as the number of people unemployed grows to one million.

Friday's National Cabinet meeting will focus on what parts of the economy can, and should, begin to tentatively re-open.

For Terra from Queensland, news of the coronavirus outbreak hit while she was travelling the country. Suddenly she found her self without a place to stay, and thousands of kilometres from home.

State and territory governments will begin easing restrictions this weekend, just six weeks into what was to have been a six month lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Is the government pulling the right levers to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19. How long can the Australian economy survive shut downs before we tip into irreparable damage? 

How do we revive the economy once the pandemic passes? Coronavirus has Australia headed for a deep recession, so what can we do now to plan our way out of it? Is the answer more government intervention and state planning? Or, is now the time to launch a new reform agenda that sharpens the incentives to work, save, invest and hire? And, Alexander Downer: “I don’t know what China’s problem is” Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for an investigation into the origins of the virus. But China’s Ambassador in Canberra upped the stakes this week by threatening a trade and tourism boycott of Australia. Australia’s longest serving Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer says China’s Cold War style rhetoric will backfire on it, and it is in everyone’s interests to investigate the origins of the virus. But as we head into recession, can we afford to aggravate our largest trade partner?

Sweden's virus experiment: death sentence, or a way forward?

Often underprepared but determined to live the dream, hordes of grey nomads are keeping the Royal Flying Doctor Service busy in the outback.

The Big Issue has been helping disadvantaged and homeless people earn an income for almost 30 years, but one seller says a recent price increase has triggered a drop in sales and income.

Tourism operators on one of Tasmania's breathtaking islands are riding a wave of untapped beauty and are reeling in visitors with locally grown produce.

Indonesia, like other emerging economies, has been hit hard economically by Covid-19. Our guest argues that it's in Australia's interests to extend an economic lifeline, and that there's a costless way to do it.

Some pundits say capitalism can never recover from Covid-19, and there will need to be bigger government. Others say the future economic recovery rests with the business sector.

Space exploration has given us conveniences such as smartphone cameras, memory foam mattresses and satellite navigation, but it also boosts the economy.

An ageing workforce and preconceptions about the transport industry are helping create a nationwide truck driver shortage that has serious implications for the economy.

Three years after shutting down and shedding more than 30 local jobs, Binnaway's abattoir is reopening, offering a much-needed boost.

Business owners in Tenterfield say tourists will be the key to the rural town's recovery, as bushfires and drought take their toll on the local economy.

National Cabinet will meet on Friday to start lifting restrictions in a three stage process to lock in what the Prime Minister is calling "a sustainable COVID safe economy".

The Prime Minister is laying the groundwork for Australia to re-open for business and wants what he calls a "COVID-19 safe economy" by July.

Trading at around $2,500 per kilogram, more growers are entering the truffle industry as demand for the unique fungi remains high.

Black holes usually cannot be seen but astronomers have now discovered one closer to Earth than any that have ever been located before.

The three-step plan might get Australia's downwardly spiralling economy off the critical list, but it will need to remain in intensive care for a long time to come.