Business

Manufacturing activity in Texas grew in February, leaving economists and others in the industry optimistic about the future of production across the state and even into the Mexican borderlands.

Amazon Prime customers across the United States now can pick which day of the week they want to receive their packages. By offering the option of a specific day for delivery, the Seattle-based retail giant says this will cut its carbon footprint, reduce packaging since the items likely will arrive in fewer boxes, and make shipping more predictable.

Waymo on March 6 began selling the laser-mapping sensors used on its driverless vehicles to other companies — as long as the customers don’t compete with its core robotaxi business. The sensors, known as lidar, shoot lasers off objects to determine what is nearby.

WASHINGTON — Leadership from groups representing key sectors of the freight industry on March 6 urged the powerful tax-writing committee in the U.S. House of Representatives to approve a long-term funding system for the country’s network of freight and commuter corridors.

Companies added fewer workers to U.S. payrolls in February after a burst of hiring in the prior month that was stronger than previously reported, signaling that the labor market continues to underpin what may become the longest economic expansion on record this year.

Investors should keep their expectations about Tesla Inc.’s ability to operate profitably in China “very low,” Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a note, adding that he’s cautious about the country’s role in the carmaker’s long-term strategy and fundamental value.

The U.S. trade deficit widened in 2018 to a 10-year high of $621 billion, bucking President Donald Trump’s pledges to reduce it, as tax cuts boosted domestic demand for imports while the strong dollar and retaliatory tariffs weighed on exports.

A sprawling General Motors assembly plant near Youngstown, Ohio, will be idled March 6 after more than 50 years producing cars and other vehicles, a move that will eliminate nearly 1,700 hourly positions by month’s end.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear a legal challenge to the arrest of an Oregon truck driver and seizure of a 6,700-pound load of hemp being transported through Idaho.