Scott Horsley

Oil prices rose and the stock market fell Friday, as investors reacted to rising tension in the Middle East. Fallout from the killing of a top Iranian military leader was more muted than expected.

The U.S. economy continued to grow in 2019 despite the trade war with China. Unemployment remains at historic lows, wages are up and the stock market soared. Trade agreements reached at year's end brightened forecasts for 2020.

Engineered meat, immigration raids on chicken plants, and the big target on the backs of big technology companies are some of the business stories that made headlines in 2019.

President Trump has reversed himself and decided not to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Brazil. Financial markets were rattled when he abruptly announced a 25% tax on Dec. 2.

The president said it would be "rocket fuel for our economy," but the Republican tax cut passed in 2017 did not pay for itself as promised — nor did it deliver a sustained boost to growth.

Some see worrisome signs for the international trading system that grew up after World War II, following a week that saw an update to NAFTA, a preliminary U.S.-China deal and a big step toward Brexit.

President Trump announced a "Phase One" trade deal with China Friday. It avoids a costly new round of tariffs this weekend. What China has agreed to do in return is less certain.

Chinese and U.S. negotiators have agreed to prevent new tariffs from going into effect this weekend. President Trump calls it "phase one" of a trade deal.

The British people have handed Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party a big victory, all but ensuring Brexit. Also, planned votes on two articles of impeachment were delayed.

President Trump tweeted Thursday that the U.S. is "very close" to striking a trade deal with China. That would be a relief to businesses, bracing for another round of tariffs this weekend.

Democrats and organized labor have signaled their support for an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement. It's a rare, bipartisan accomplishment at a time of deep division.

The AFL-CIO president praised the agreement, which includes stronger enforcement of labor and environmental provisions. One lawmaker called it "a triumph for workers everywhere across America."

The Trump administration is taking aim at the World Trade Organization. The president is refusing to approve WTO appellate nominees, hampering its ability to serve as a trade referee.

U.S. employers added a better-than-expected number of jobs last month, boosted in part by the return of General Motors workers who had been on strike in October. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%.

The U.S. economy is still growing, but trade tensions have taken a toll — especially on factories and farms. The trade war's impact on the overall economy is being debated.

The share of total income of the top 1% of earners in the U.S. more than doubled over four decades. But in Europe, the gains were less dramatic. What accounts for the difference across the Atlantic?

President Trump's trade war is heating up again, with threats of new tariffs on France, Brazil and Argentina. The sudden shifts have rattled investors, who'd come to believe a truce was near.

President Trump on Monday tweeted that he's reimposing steel and aluminum tariffs on the two countries. The new tariffs turn up the heat on what was already a simmering trade war.

The trade war with China is weighing on America's manufacturers. "[The tariff burden] comes out of our bottom line," says Dan Digre, president of Misco, a speaker-maker in Minnesota.

President Trump signed a bill Wednesday showing support for pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. But in an effort to avoid upsetting delicate trade talks, the president soft-pedaled the message to mainland China.