Business

The latest signs of factory weakness — in countries including South Korea, Germany and Japan — underscore the growing threat to the world economy posed by the escalating U.S.-China trade war. The reports came amid a fresh warning from Wall Street about recession risks.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. appointed Adrian Downes chief financial officer, according to a news release.

There has never been a spring planting season like this one. Rivers topped their banks. Levees were breached. Fields filled with water and mud. And it kept raining.

The mall is now a warehouse, and Blackstone Group is betting $18.7 billion on the shift. That’s how much the alternative investment manager is paying for 179 million square feet of urban logistics properties — the warehouses used by Amazon and other retailers to fulfill orders from online shoppers.

FedEx Corp. shares dropped as investors assessed the impact of a Chinese probe that puts the delivery company in the middle of an escalating trade conflict with the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s intensifying trade war with China dented air cargo traffic even before FedEx Corp. got dragged into the brawl, as companies worldwide reconfigure their supply chains in the face of increasing tariffs.

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has reached a 10-year milestone in collision-mitigation technology since the production of its Bendix Wingman ACB — Active Cruise with Braking in 2009.

Economists and transportation experts warned that if tariffs against Mexico are enacted, consumers over several months would see price increases at grocery stores — especially on fruits and vegetables imported from Mexico — and suppliers would source those items from other countries.

Are 6x2 axle configurations a good way to boost the efficiency of heavy-duty trucks, or do the complications outweigh the benefits? The answer varies from one fleet to another.