There are unresolved issues between Britain and the European Union, and tension between North American nations lingers as trade talks resume.
Here’s what to expect in the week ahead:
“Brexit”
Britain and the European Union meet Monday for a third round of negotiations. Several issues remain unresolved, including the size of Britain’s “divorce bill” — an attempt to settle its various financial commitments and debts — and the status of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Time becomes more of an issue each month, as Britain must leave the bloc by March 2019. Prashant S. Rao
Monthly Job Figures
On Friday, the Labor Department will release the latest data on unemployment and hiring in August. Economists estimate that the economy added about 180,000 jobs in August, a bit slower than July’s gain of 209,000, but that’s still considered a very healthy pace, especially with the unemployment rate at 4.3 percent.
The jobless rate isn’ t expected to change, and in addition to the payroll figure, experts will also be closely watching average hourly earnings. For now, wage growth and the threat of inflation remain modest. Wall Street estimates that wages rose by 0.2 percent in August, bringing the annual increase to 2.6 percent. Nelson D. Schwartz
Nafta
Following a testy kickoff early this month, the next round of renegotiation talks for the North American Free Trade Agreement will begin in Mexico City on Friday. The initial discussions put deep political divisions into harsh relief, with the United States representative, Robert Lighthizer, saying that the agreement had fundamentally failed to bolster American economic interests and had led to trade deficits that are unfair to American citizens. His Canadian and Mexican counterparts, however, tried to shift focus away from those deficits and highlight other points.
All three nations agree that Nafta regulations need to be updated to address e-commerce and other technological advances. Zach Wichter
Amazon’s Takeover of Whole Foods
The ink will barely have time to dry on Amazon’s takeover of Whole Foods before the internet giant starts changing the way the high-end grocery store does business. Amazon announced that when the deal has been completed on Monday, it would slash prices for a variety of products immediately. Following that announcement last week, shares of other major grocery chains fell as the markets anticipated a price war — as usually happens when Amazon enters a new retail category.
Amazon has not yet announced the dollar amounts of its new pricing plan, but analysts say the reductions could be as much as 25 percent for some products. Zach Wichter
G. D. P.
On Wednesday, the Commerce Department will release its second estimate of economic growth in the second quarter. Not much revision is expected from the initial estimate of 2.6 percent last month, but growth in the second half of 2017 is thought to have picked up a bit from that pace. Nelson D. Schwartz
Monthly Auto Sales
Automakers are expecting good news on Friday when the industry reports new vehicle sales in the United States for the month of August. After seven straight months of year-over-year declines, sales could increase slightly compared with 2016. The auto-research firm Edmunds.com forecasts total sales at 1.53 million, which would represent a 1 percent increase. Sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles continued to gain market share at the expense of traditional passenger cars, benefiting automakers that have recently added new S. U. V. models, including General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota. Bill Vlasic
