Wal-Mart to cut 7,000 U.S. store back-office jobs

(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Thursday it will cut about 7,000 back-office jobs, mostly in accounting and invoicing positions at its U.S. stores, continuing a program it announced in June of cutting such jobs on the West Coast.

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Low rates can't resolve long-term labor problem: Fed's Mester

LEXINGTON, KY (Reuters) - Keeping interest rates low in the United States will likely do little to resolve deep-set problems in the country's labor market, Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester said on Thursday.

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IMF's Lagarde says likely to cut growth outlook as trade wanes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde said the institution will likely downgrade its 2016 global growth forecast again as economic prospects are dimmed by weak demand, flagging trade and investment and growing inequality.

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U.S. factory activity contracts in August; layoffs remain low

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. factory activity contracted in August for the first time in six months as new orders and production tumbled, but a low level of layoffs continued to point to a pickup in economic growth in the third quarter.

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Stock futures rise ahead of economic data

(Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures were higher on Thursday ahead of a raft of economic data, including a crucial jobs report on Friday.

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Apple CEO says EU tax ruling 'total political crap': Irish Independent

DUBLIN (Reuters) - The European Union's imposition of a 13 billion euro ($14.5 billion) back tax bill on Apple is "total political crap", Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a newspaper interview on Thursday, and anti-U.S. bias may have played a role.

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UAW asks Volkswagen to accept NLRB order on Tennessee plant row

(Reuters) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) urged Volkswagen to accept the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) latest order that requires the carmaker to collectively bargain with UAW local union as the representative of a portion of workers at its Tennessee plant.

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