U.S. Department of Commerce


U.S. Department of Commerce

The Department of Commerce, which was established in 1903, is one of the main government agencies intended to assist businesses—large and small—and re...  Read story

How To Find Out More About Etcs

Nov 1, 1983

The Export Trading Company Act of 1982 directed the U.S. Department of Commerce to "promote . . . the formation of export trade associations and export tr...  Read story

Export Controls: Showdown In The Senate

Oct 1, 1986

House-backed bill would reduce restricted goods by 40%.  Read story

Export Experts Close to Home

By Susan Greco |  Jul 1, 1992

Public private resources for analyzing overseas prospects.  Read story

Who's Thinking About Exporting?

By Susan Greco |  Nov 1, 1992

Chart showing percentage of companies interested in various exporting regions.  Read story

Small Farmers Behind Possible Tariffs on China, Vietnam

July 7, 2004 -- Score one for the small farmer. Yesterday, responding to a petition from a group of small shrimp farmers in eight states,...  Read story

GDP Growth Slows in Second Quarter

By Matt Quinn

August 30, 2004 -- The U.S. economy expanded at a slower pace in the second quarter than originally estimated thanks mostly to a larger t...  Read story

Personal Income Up in Second Quarter

By Angus Loten |  Sep 28, 2005

Sept. 28, 2005 --Strong earnings in real estate, professional services, and other entrepreneurial sectors helped jumpstart personal income...  Read story

Consumers Spend More, Worry More

By Angus Loten |  Oct 31, 2005

Oct. 31, 2005 --Americans may be increasingly concerned about the economy, but those fears haven't led to penny-pinching. In fact, just th...  Read story

New Home Sales Drop Sharply

By Angus Loten |  Dec 23, 2005

Dec. 23, 2005 --New home sales plunged in November by the biggest month-to-month decline in over a decade, as rising mortgage rates kept m...  Read story

Troubling Signs for Housing Market

By Angus Loten |  Nov 21, 2005

Nov. 21, 2005 --The red-hot real estate marketRead story

New Home Sales Drop Sharply

By Angus Loten |  Dec 23, 2005

Dec. 23, 2005 --New home sales plunged in November by the biggest month-to-month decline in over a decade, as rising mortgage rates kept m...  Read story

Economy Sputters in Fourth Quarter

By Angus Loten |  Jan 27, 2006

Jan. 27, 2006 --The U.S. economy slowed considerably at the end of 2005, dropping to its weakest pace in three years, the Commerce Departm...  Read story

This Week’s Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Mar 2, 2006

Spending and manufacturing climb higher; real-estate market tumbles.  Read story

This Week’s Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Mar 9, 2006

Rising labor costs cut into worker productivity; factory orders take a tumble.  Read story

This Week's Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  May 26, 2006

Wages, prices, and spending rise; durable-goods orders fall for second straight month.  Read story

This Week's Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Sep 28, 2006

Lower gas prices boost consumer confidence; manufacturers report fewer orders for durable goods.  Read story

This Week's Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Nov 30, 2006

Small-business owners optimistic going into holiday season; consumer mood dips slightly.  Read story

This Week's Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Dec 14, 2006

Small-business owners less optimistic; holiday shopping sends retail sales higher.  Read story

This Week's Economic Roundup

By Angus Loten |  Feb 15, 2007

Small-business owners plan to add more jobs; weaker housing market drives consumer spending down.  Read story

E-Commerce Growth Continues

By Angus Loten |  Nov 19, 2007

Online retail sales grew by 3.6 percent over the third quarter, more than double the growth of brick-and-mortar sales.  Read story

Consumer Spending Flat

By Angus Loten |  Nov 30, 2007

Rising prices in October offset modest gains in income, according to the Commerce Department.  Read story

Holiday Shoppers Dig Into Savings

By Angus Loten |  Dec 21, 2007

A surge in spending last month outpaced gains in personal income, knocking the savings rate to a two-year low.  Read story

April Retail Sales Strong

By Ana Patricia Ferrey |  May 14, 2008

Excluding cars, retail sales rose by 0.5 percent last month, the government reports.  Read story

Stimulus Checks Boost Spending

By Michael Gadd |  Jun 27, 2008

Consumer spending rose in May at the sharpest rate in nine months, the government reports.  Read story

Spending Hits 28-Year Low

By Kelly Faircloth |  Oct 31, 2008

The U.S. economy shrank over the third quarter as consumers cut spending, the government reports.  Read story

Economic Growth Slows

Nov 29, 2006

Nov. 29, 2006 -- The economy grew by 2.2 percent over the third quarter, a slower pace than the start of the year resulting from increase...  Read story

Housing Starts Fall

Nov 17, 2006

Nov. 17, 2006 -- Housing starts dropped 14.6 percent last month to an adjusted annual rate of 1.486 million, the Commerce Department repo...  Read story

Online Sales Outpacing Brick-and-Mortar Retailers

Nov 17, 2006

Nov. 17, 2006 -- E-commerce sales rose by 3.4 percent in the third quarter to $25.6 billion, the Commerce Department reported today. ...  Read story

Orders for Durable Goods Fall to Six-Year Low

Nov 28, 2006

Nov. 28, 2006 -- Orders for durable goods plunged by 8.3 percent in October to $210 billion following unexpected gains the previous month...  Read story

Wholesale Inventories Rising

Nov 9, 2006

Nov. 9, 2006 -- Inventories at the nation's wholesalers rose last month by the sharpest increase in over a year, the Commerce Department ...  Read story

Service Sector Driving Growth

Dec 11, 2006

Dec. 11, 2006 -- Growth in the service sector drove the nation's economic expansion in 2005, according to new data released by the Commer...  Read story

Trade Gap Narrows

Dec 12, 2006

Dec. 12, 2006 -- Cheaper oil prices helped shrink the U.S. trade deficit by 8.4 percent to $58.9 billion in October, the sharpest decline...  Read story

Retail Sales Gain Strength

Dec 13, 2006

Dec. 13, 2006 -- Sales at the nation's retailers rose 1 percent in November, the first increase in more than three months, the Commerce D...  Read story

Construction Spending Falls

Dec 1, 2006

Dec. 1, 2006 -- Spending on construction projects in October fell by 1 percent to $1.178 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday.Read story

Factory Orders Rebound

Jan 4, 2007

Jan. 4, 2007 -- Following sharp losses in October, new orders at U.S. factories edged up in November by 0.9 percent to $394.3 billion, th...  Read story

Home Construction Picks Up

Jan 18, 2007

Jan. 18, 2007 – Housing starts rose 4.5 percent in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.642 million, the Commerce Dep...  Read story

Durable Goods Orders Pick Up

Jan 26, 2007

Jan. 26, 2007 -- Orders for durable goods rose 3.1 percent in December to $221.9 billion, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Read story

Business Inventories Low

Feb 14, 2007

Feb. 14, 2007 -- Despite a boost in December sales, inventory levels at the nation's manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers re...  Read story

Factory Orders Weaker Than Expected

Apr 4, 2007

April 4, 2007 -- Factory orders in February rose by 1 percent, a downward revision from a preliminary report last week, the Commerce Depa...  Read story