The daily business briefing: April 17, 2017

Soft U.S. economic data weighs on stocks, United Airlines says it will stop bumping passengers to make room for employees, and more

A United Airlines plane waits on the tarmac
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

1. Soft U.S. economic data weighs down stocks

Global stocks dipped on Monday and U.S. stock futures edged lower after softer-than-expected U.S. economic data, along with worries over North Korea, weighed on investor sentiment. Data released Friday showed that retail sales fell by more than expected in March, and core inflation slowed to 2 percent from 2.2 percent in February. S&P 500 mini futures fell by 0.15 percent, approaching a six-week low and pointing to a slightly lower open on Wall Street after the three-day Easter weekend. Upbeat economic data from China cheered the mood a bit, but not enough to get markets to shift direction.

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.