Inside an unassuming store in New York’s Greenwich Village, around a dozen men unlock black briefcases, remove sports cards and begin to trade them -- a growing hobby and industry that has boomed during the pandemic.

The United States on Friday warned its business community of growing risks of operating in Hong Kong due to China’s clampdown, as an increasing number of Western companies consider abandoning the historic financial hub.

US retail sales unexpectedly increased in June as demand for goods remained strong even as spending is shifting back to services, supporting expectations that economic growth accelerated in the second quarter.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced on Friday that she will meet with regulators next week to discuss “interagency work” on stablecoins, a rapidly growing class of digital currencies that is facing growing scrutiny from policymakers.

US consumer sentiment fell sharply and unexpectedly in early July to the lowest level in five months as inflation worries dented confidence in the economic recovery, a survey showed on Friday. 

Global stocks mostly fell Friday as worries about rising Covid-19 cases and their effect on global growth weighed on sentiment, pushing Wall Street into the red for the week.

US import prices increased solidly in June as bottlenecks in the global supply chain persisted, the latest indication that inflation could remain elevated for a while amid strong domestic demand fueled by the economy’s reopening and fiscal stimulus. 

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday pledged “powerful support” to complete the US economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, but faced sharp questions from Republican lawmakers concerned about recent spikes in inflation. 

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will discuss the hot housing market and its risks with fellow regulators on Friday, Bloomberg News reported. 

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her British counterpart Liz Truss agreed to continue working to strengthen bilateral ties in a meeting in Washington on Tuesday, Tai’s office said in a statement.

The US securities regulator has ramped-up its inquiry on Wall Street’s blank check acquisition frenzy, homing in on potential conflicts of interest created when banks act as underwriters and advisers on the same deal, three people with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. 

Confidence among small businesses in the United States improved slightly in June after declining in May, despite owners worrying about a labor shortage and inflation, according to a survey released on Tuesday. 

The US government will this week warn companies of increasing risks of operating in Hong Kong and also update a previously issued warning on Xinjiang, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Investors are looking to US companies’ upcoming quarterly results and forecasts about the recovery in the second half of 2021 as some worry that the recent economic surge is already waning.

Oil prices rose for a second day on Friday as the market reacted to falling US inventories, and signs of strong Asian demand from both China and India added support.

South Korea’s Samsung SDI Co may build a battery cell plant in the United States to support the auto industry’s shift to electrification, a company source with close knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday. 

Dozens of US states joined forces in a lawsuit filed Wednesday accusing Google of abusing its power when it comes to getting apps for Android-powered mobile devices.

Expectations that Treasury yields may stay tame in the second half of the year are pushing some investors to take a second look at companies whose dividend payouts beat those offered on US government bonds.

Most US adults are vaccinated but Covid-19 cases are rising. The economy is accelerating but inflation looms. Bipartisan cooperation has improved but political rancor is high.

The White House said on Friday it is concerned about the impact of rising oil prices on US consumers but believes producers have ample ability to pump enough crude.