Government

WASHINGTON — U.S. services firms expanded at a slightly slower rate in October, after achieving a record pace in September in a sign of the economy’s strength and endurance.

The American Concrete Pumping Association has become the latest group whose request for exemption from certain hours-of-service rules was honored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Oil traded near a six-month low as the prospects of a tight global market at the end of the year further receded after the U.S. softened the restart of sanctions against Iran.

Eleven Sacramento apartment complexes will soon have shareable Volkswagen electric vehicles — the first benefit the state has received after the company was ordered to spend $800 million promoting EVs as part of a settlement for its 2015 emission scandal.

Washington’s Port of Everett was awarded a $5.9 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau to assist with ongoing rail upgrades at the facility, Secretary Elaine Chao announced.

The U.S. trade deficit widened more than forecast in September to a seven-month high as imports expanded and the merchandise gap with China hit a record amid an escalating tariff war.

Canada’s economy continued to show sluggish trade flows in September with both exports and imports recording back-to-back monthly drops. The statistics agency also revised away its previously reported surplus from August.

WASHINGTON — The final major economic report before the Nov. 6 congressional elections showed that U.S. employers added a stellar 250,000 jobs in October and raised average pay by the most in nearly a decade.

Encouraging spending on roads, bridges and other infrastructure could be one of the rare areas where a Democrat-controlled Congress finds common ground with the Trump administration. Private investors in such projects aren’t relying on any breakthroughs, regardless of how next week’s midterm elections shake out.