Economy

Americans’ optimism about the economy came roaring back in November, hitting a nine-year high as the economy heads into the key holiday shopping season.

U.S. oil and gas companies are slowly stepping up investment in wells and other industry building blocks for the first time in more than two years, offering a small boost to overall economic growth as the year ends.

As the U.S. labor market tightens and the population of undocumented immigrants shrinks, employers in industries such as hospitality, construction and agriculture are scrambling to fill jobs they say Americans don’t want.