AP National Business

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Friday: DocuSign, Olli’s fall; Marvell Technology, Smartsheet rise

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors and retailers are pushing back on assertions by California’s governor and attorney general that they have enough tools to combat shoplifting and other retail thefts. California Retailers Association President Rachel Michelin says recent large-scale thefts in which groups of individuals steal in plain sight or

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts congresswoman Ayanna Pressley is upset that her beloved Mariah Carey Christmas album has gone missing. But she was promised a replacement copy courtesy of the five-time Grammy winner herself. The Democrat in a tweet Friday asked that whoever took the album could leave it at her office door, no questions asked.

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, the November jobs report was a sour one. U.S. employers added just 210,000 jobs. That was the lowest monthly gain since December — and not even half the total that economists had expected. It meant that hiring had decelerated even before the new

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

By ALAN SUDERMAN, ERIC TUCKER and FRANK BAJAK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The phones of 11 U.S. State Department employees were hacked using technology from Israel’s NSO Group, the world’s most infamous hacker-for-hire company. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The person said the employees

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Bernie Sanders is asking the White House to cut back a big Medicare premium hike set to take effect in weeks and tied to a pricey Alzheimer’s drug whose benefits have been widely questioned. In a letter Friday to President Joe Biden, the Vermont Independent called

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The head of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One racing team has apologized for the way the team announced its partnership with a company involved in a London high-rise where a fire killed 72 people. The team announced a sponsorship deal this week allowing building products maker Kingspan

By THOMAS PEIPERT and BRITTANY PETERSON Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Denver’s winter has started with a whimper, and the parched mountains to the west aren’t faring much better. The Mile High City has already shattered its 87-year-old record for the latest measurable snowfall. It’s also a little more than a week away from breaking

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — A troubled Chinese developer struggling under $310 billion in debt has warned it may run out of money to “perform its financial obligations.” Regulators rushed to reassure investors that China’s financial markets can be protected from a possible impact. Evergrande Group’s struggle to comply with official

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Growth in the services sector, where most Americans work, hit an all-time high in November, surpassing the previous record set in October. The Institute for Supply Management reported Friday that its monthly survey of service industries increased by 2.4 percentage points in November from October record

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will not designate any country as a currency manipulator, but it did name China, Vietnam and Taiwan among the nations that have failed to live up to global agreements not to use their currencies to gain unfair trade advantages. In a report to

By KRISHAN FRANCIS Associated Press COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A U.N expert says contemporary forms of slavery exist in Sri Lanka, with vulnerable groups such as children, women, ethnic minorities and older people particularly affected. The U.N special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoyo Obokata, said at the end of a mission to

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Interior Minister Karl Nehammer says he will be the acting leader of the conservative People’s Party and will seek to become Austria’s next chancellor. The current chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, said Thursday that he would step down to make way for someone to take over as both the head of government and

BEIJING (AP) — The prime minister of Laos has ridden the first run of a $5.9 billion Chinese-built train connecting his isolated, mountainous country with southern China. The two governments tout the line as a boost to economic growth. But it leaves a debt that foreign experts say Laos might struggle to repay. The railway

By BARBARA SURK and JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — France has announced multibillion-euro deals to sell fighter planes and combat helicopters to the United Arab Emirates. The contracts announced Friday aim to boost military cooperation with its top ally in the Persian Gulf amid their shared concerns about Iran. France

By DANICA KIRKA Associated Press LONDON (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell has pulled out of a controversial oil project off Scotland’s Shetland Islands, saying the project no longer makes economic sense for the company. Shell had a 30% stake in the Cambo project, which is opposed by environmental groups who say Britain should stop developing

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese real estate developer has warned it might not be able to pay a $400 million bond due next week, adding to financial strain in an industry that is struggling to avoid defaults on billions of dollars of debt. Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong, said an attempt to

By SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s beleaguered currency has been plunging to all-time lows against the U.S. dollar and the euro in recent months as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presses ahead with a widely criticized effort to cut interest rates despite surging consumer prices. As a result, families are struggling to

WASHINGTON (AP) — Chinese companies will have to disclose more information about audits and whether they are controlled by a government or else leave U.S. stock markets under a rule approved by securities regulators. The rule approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission steps up a long-running standoff between Washington and Beijing over how much

By STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Wall Street closed out a bumpy week with more losses on Friday following a mixed reading on U.S. jobs markets that investors said was tough to parse. The S&P 500 gave up an early gain and closed 0.8% lower. The benchmark index is coming off a

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s unemployment rate tumbled last month to its lowest point since the pandemic struck, even as employers appeared to slow their hiring — a mixed picture that pointed to a resilient economy that’s putting more people to work. The government reported Friday that private businesses and

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signed into law the stopgap spending bill that will keep the federal government running through Feb. 18. The White House thanked congressional leaders for their work — they had defused a partisan standoff after Senate Republicans tried to hold off

By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s opposition leader says the nation would set a more ambitious target of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by the end of the decade if the government changes at elections early next year. Center-left Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese on Friday set climate policy

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities in Los Angeles announced more than a dozen arrests in recent smash-and-grab thefts at stores where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen. The robberies are part of a rash of organized retail crime in California. Police Chief Michel Moore said Thursday that 14 people

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Global Inc. says it will pull out of the New York Stock Exchange and shift its listing to Hong Kong as the ruling Communist Party tightens control over tech industries. Didi gave no explanation, but the company’s U.S. market debut in June

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California official says the state’s landmark law mandating women be placed on corporate boards is toothless and there are no plans to fine companies for not complying. A chief in the Secretary of State’s Office said Thursday that the law requiring publicly held corporations based

By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS Associated Press Officials in Oregon are asking for help locating the person or persons responsible for poisoning an entire wolf pack in the eastern part of the state earlier this year. The Oregon State Police said Thursday it has been investigating the killing of all five members of the Catherine Pack

By TALI ARBEL AP Technology Writer The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block graphics chip maker Nvidia’s $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm. The commission says the deal would create a powerful company that could hurt the growth of new technologies. California-based Nvidia said last year that it was buying United Kingdom-based Arm

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Thursday that the administration’s goal for offshore wind and the projects being developed now represent a “gust of job growth throughout the country.” Granholm visited a new offshore wind manufacturing hub in Providence to talk about the Biden administration’s plan

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Kroger, Okta rise; Dollar General, Apple fall.

The Associated Press Stocks rose broadly on Wall Street Thursday as investors continue to monitor the spread of the new coronavirus variant as well as measures that the U.S. and other governments are taking to restrain it. The S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed and the Nasdaq rose. Small-company stocks outpaced the rest

By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) — If you’ve turned on a television in the last three years, chances are you’ve been inundated with advertisements for sports betting, and not only during game broadcasts. Gambling industry executives, and their pro sports and tech partners, are starting to ask themselves: How much is too

By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press Millions of health care workers across the U.S. must be vaccinated as a result of a mandate from President Joe Biden’s administration that is taking effect. The requirement for many health providers that participate in Medicare or Medicaid takes effect in January for half the states

By DAVID KOENIG AP Airlines Writer President Joe Biden’s latest measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 will increase the hassle factor of entering the United States, even for American citizens returning from overseas. Beginning next week, travelers heading to the U.S. will be required to show evidence of a negative test for the virus

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — A 29-year-old man has been arrested in the death of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, who was fatally shot at the Beverly Hills, California, home she shared with her husband, legendary music executive Clarence Avant. The Beverly Hills Police Department announced the arrest of Aariel Maynor on Thursday. Police were called to

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Members of the United Auto Workers union have overwhelmingly approved picking their leaders by direct ballot elections. In doing so they have rejected a system that many blamed for corruption in the union’s top ranks. The so-called “one member, one vote” measure got nearly 64% of

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has threatened legal action over provisions of U.S. President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better framework that would give subsidies of up to $12,500 for purchases of union-made, American-made electric vehicles. Mexico’s secretary of the economy said Thursday the bill, currently before the U.S. Senate, would violate non-discrimination clauses

BOSTON (AP) — A former college track and field coach accused of setting up sham social media and email accounts in an attempt to trick female athletes into sending him nude or semi-nude photos of themselves has been indicted on 15 counts. Federal prosecutors said Thursday that 28-year-old Steve Waithe, 28, of Chicago, was indicted

By ALAN SUDERMAN Associated Press RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Transportation Security Administration is issuing new directives and recommendations aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of U.S. rail and airport operators. The Biden administration said Thursday the new requirements are part of a broader effort at protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from ongoing cyberespionage and

By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer Oil giant BP has agreed to pay a $512,450 penalty and reduce soot emissions from its Whiting refinery in Indiana. The company reached a consent agreement Thursday with regulators and activists who accused the company of violating an earlier deal. The sprawling facility is on the southwestern shore of

By ALEX DANIELS of The Chronicle of Philanthropy Chronicle of Philanthropy Grantmakers are increasing spending on education, hoping to turn the pandemic into an opportunity to fine tune the use of educational technology, develop better lesson plans, and build connections with families and after-school programs that could help reduce students’ mental-health challenges due to COVID.

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned officials to strictly observe industrial safety in the wake of last week’s coal mine explosion that killed 51. A methane explosion rocked the Listvyazhnaya mine in the Kemerovo region of southwestern Siberia last week, killing 46 miners and five rescuers in

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is worried about the Federal Reserve pulling back its massive support for financial markets. The head of the central bank said this week that it may halt the bond-buying program meant to lower long-term interest rates sooner than expected. That would open the

By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer Starbucks is fighting an expanded effort to unionize its stores. The effort comes even as a union vote proceeds at three of the coffee chain’s locations in Buffalo, New York. Union organizers from three additional Buffalo-area stores appeared before the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday, asking to hold

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer Norfolk Southern Corp. said its CEO will retire next spring, and it will promote one of its executives to replace him. The railroad said Thursday that Jim Squires will step down as chairman and CEO on May 1 after seven years. Chief Marketing Officer Alan Shaw has been promoted

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The British and Irish governments are expressing optimism that a thorny spat between the U.K. and the European Union over Northern Ireland trade can be resolved. But Ireland’s top diplomat said Thursday that negotiations are likely to drag on into next year. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney

By ZEN SOO Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing company Grab tumbled in its market debut Thursday, following a $40 billion merger in a special purpose acquisition company deal. The Singapore-based company Nasdaq debut came more than seven months after it announced plans to merge with U.S.-based Altimeter Growth Corp in

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The average interest rate for long-term mortgages in the U.S. remained flat this week, following the Federal Reserve suggesting that it would start tightening credit by raising its benchmark rate. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year,

By JOSH FUNK AP Business Writer OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kellogg’s has reached a tentative agreement with its 1,400 cereal plant workers that will deliver 3% raises and end a nearly two-month-long strike if it is approved. The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said Thursday the five-year deal with the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The holidays have always been defined by disappointing out-of-stock messages on the most popular items. But the pandemic-induced supply chain snarls have created unprecedented shortages across all types of products. That has many customers buying early as shortfalls are only expected to worsen as the

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer Getting more bang for your buck used to be the mantra of dollar store shoppers everywhere, but times are changing – and prices are rising. As consumers continue to contend with escalating prices for food, clothing and other items thanks to inflation, dollar stores are rethinking their pricing strategies.

By KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a stopgap spending bill that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week even though the U.S. job market has been rebounding from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims climbed by 28,000 to 222,000 from the previous week’s pandemic low 194,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week

By MILES BRANMAN Edmunds After a 25-year hiatus, the Ford Bronco is back. This new 2021 Bronco SUV pays homage to its predecessors via boxy proportions, round headlights and short overhangs while introducing the latest in convenience and technology features. It’s generated plenty of excitement and serves as an intriguing alternative to a well-known off-roading

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s air regulator has cleared the Boeing 737 Max to return to flying with technical upgrades more than two years after the plane was grounded worldwide following two fatal crashes. China is the last major market where the Boeing 737 Max awaited approval after the United

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg has announced he is stepping down just two months after taking over from predecessor Sebastian Kurz. In a written statement Schallenberg, a former foreign minister, said he would leave as soon as the conservative Austrian People’s Party names a new leader. Kurz was

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The European Union drug regulator says it has started a rolling review of a new coronavirus vaccine made by French startup Valneva. The move announced on Thursday is a first step toward giving the vaccine the green light to be used in the 27-nation EU. Approval by the European Medicines

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met face-to-face with his Russian counterpart to demand Russia pull back troops from the border with Ukraine. The meeting comes as tensions and suspicions grow in a confrontation over Ukraine’s increasingly close ties with NATO and the

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union has fined four major banks a combined $390 million for colluding in a foreign exchange spot trading cartel that allowed them to beat inherent risks in currency deals. HSBC received the biggest fine of almost $200 million, while Credit Suisse, RBS and Barclays received smaller penalties. The European Commission

By FRANK JORDANS Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says people who aren’t vaccinated will soon be excluded from nonessential stores, restaurants and sports and cultural venues. The restrictions announced Thursday are part of an effort to curb coronavirus infections. New cases in Germany again topped 70,000 in a 24-hour period. Merkel

By AMI BENTOV Associated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Residents of Israel’s seaside metropolis Tel Aviv have for years complained of how expensive it is, with living costs taking a chunk out of their paychecks. Now a report released Wednesday affirms their dissatisfaction with the prices. Tel Aviv has emerged as the most expensive

By SYLVIA HUI and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press LONDON (AP) — The Duchess of Sussex has won the latest stage in her long-running privacy lawsuit against a British newspaper publisher over its publication of parts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father. The Court of Appeal in London upheld a High Court ruling

By CATHY BUSSEWITZ and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries have decided to stick to their plans to boost the amount of oil they pump to the world. The decision comes even as the new omicron variant casts a shadow of uncertainty over the global economic recovery from

By RAF CASERT Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The top adviser to the European Union’s highest court says the principle of linking the bloc’s budget disbursements to respect for rule of law is compatible with the bloc’s laws and that a challenge by Hungary and Poland should be dismissed.  The right-wing governments of both nations

By ARITZ PARRA and EMILIO MORENATTI Associated Press LAS MANCHAS, Canary Islands (AP) — The scientists come with eagle-eyed drones and high-precision instruments. Aided by satellites, they analyze gas emissions and the flows of molten rock. They collect everything on the ground from tiny particles to “lava bombs” the size of watermelons that volcanoes hurl

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has appointed a new treasury and finance minister after the previous one stepped down as the country’s currency has tumbled to record lows. An announcement published in the Official Gazette on Thursday said Erdogan named deputy minister Nureddin Nebati to the post. The announcement said Lutfi

By LORI HINNANT Associated Press PARIS (AP) — Governments around the world are weighing new measures for populations tired of hearing about coronavirus restrictions and vaccines. The proposals have emerged as the delta variant of COVID-19 pushes up cases in Europe and fears grow over the omicron variant. Greeks who are over age 60 and

By TERENCE CHEA Associated Press ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — Even Christmas trees aren’t immune to the pandemic-induced shortages and inflation plaguing the economy. Extreme weather and supply chain disruptions have reduced supplies of both real and artificial trees this season. Industry officials say American shoppers should expect to have fewer choices and pay up to

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer Stocks are trading mixed in Asia after a broad rally on Wall Street as investors keep an eye on the spread of the new coronavirus variant and measures governments are taking to restrain it. Hong Kong slipped more than 1% while Tokyo edged lower. Shanghai and Seoul were higher

By TOM KRISHER Associated Press The Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the U.S. is on hold because of legal challenges, but employers can still require the shots. The regulation says businesses with 100 or more employees need to require COVID-19 vaccination or have workers get tested weekly for the virus. It was set to

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after a turbulent day on Wall Street as traders tried to forecast the impact of the coronavirus’s omicron variant. Shanghai and Tokyo fell while Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index ended down 1.2%. The was despite

By HALELUYA HADERO AP Business Writer Organizers for GivingTuesday say American donors gave $2.7 billion during Tuesday’s giving day. The donations top last year’s record, when American donors gave nearly $2.5 billion in the aftermath of the racial justice protests and amid growing needs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The GivingTuesday organization, which promotes

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom says in no uncertain terms that he thinks shoplifters should be prosecuted under existing California laws. He’s calling out local officials whom he said have been reluctant to do so. He was responding to a recent run of large-scale thefts in California and

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Police were looking for a man dubbed the “snake burglar” who wriggled his way through a Southern California business and fled with several thousands dollars. KNBC-TV says surveillance video shows the man slithering on his belly at the Rustic Roots salon in Riverside last Friday, possibly to avoid a motion sensor.

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The state of Hawaii says a laboratory has detected petroleum product in a water sample from an elementary school near Pearl Harbor. The news comes amid heightened concerns that fuel from a massive Navy storage facility may contaminate Oahu’s water supply. The department says the test result

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — There’s a new Silicon Valley corporate name change on the block. A month after Facebook changed its name to Meta, Square Inc. is changing its name to Block. Square is the San Francisco-based payments company headed by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. It said Wednesday it’s making the change because the

By JOE McDONALD, SAM McNEIL and ELAINE KURTENBACH Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — Laos, an isolated, mountainous nation of 7 million people wedged between China, Vietnam and Thailand, is opening a $5.9 billion railway its leaders hope will energize its economy, but it may pile on dangerously high debt. The 1,035-kilometer (642-mile) line to China’s

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles branch of Planned Parenthood chapter has been hit by a data breach involving about 400,000 patients, but the group says there is no indication the information was used “for fraudulent purposes.” The organization says a hacker installed computer malware in October and “exfiltrated” files containing patient names and

By The Associated Press Airlines are being required to gather information about some passengers that will help with contact tracing if they develop COVID-19. The new rules from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention apply to passengers entering the U.S. who have been in southern Africa in the previous two weeks. The CDC issued

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Members of the United Auto Workers union apparently will approve picking their leaders in direct elections. With 72% of the ballots counted, nearly 63% favor direct elections. About 37% want to keep the current system of delegates selecting the union’s leadership. A federal court-appointed monitor who

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canada has officially narrowed its decade-long hunt for a new fighter jet to two choices as the federal government confirmed U.S. aerospace giant Boeing’s Super Hornet is out of the running to replace the military’s aging CF-18s. The announcement on Wednesday from Public Services and Procurement Canada came nearly a week

By PATTY NIEBERG Associated Press/Report for America DENVER (AP) — Colorado’s health department says emergency workers should not use a condition involving erratic behavior as a reason to inject people with the drug ketamine. Most states and ambulance agencies can use ketamine when people exhibit the condition called excited delirium. It’s a type of agitation

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tesla says it has officially moved its corporate headquarters from Silicon Valley to a large factory under construction outside of Austin, Texas. The company made the announcement Wednesday in a filing with U.S. securities regulators. CEO Elon Musk had said at the company’s annual meeting in October that the move was

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Water agencies in drought-stricken California that serve 27 million residents won’t get any of the supplies they’ve requested from the state heading into 2022 other than what’s needed for health and safety. The Wednesday announcement marked the first time the Department of Water Resources has issued

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Ambarella, Box rise; Salesforce.com, Generac fall.

The Associated Press Markets turned cautious again, erasing an early gain and ending lower Wednesday as investors try to handicap how much the new coronavirus variant will impact the economy. The latest roller-coaster ride brought the S&P 500 index up early and down by the closing bell. The afternoon reversal is the latest dizzying move

By DAVID KLEPPER and AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press Facebook says it removed hundreds of fake accounts linked to an effort to spread unfounded claims that the U.S. was pressuring scientists to blame the coronavirus on China. The platform says the disinformation operation began in July when someone claiming to be a Swiss biologist posted the

The Associated Press Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities, and foreign exchange levels.

The Associated Press Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates say they will still work with the Giving Pledge. That’s the campaign they co-founded with Warren Buffett in 2010 to encourage billionaires to donate the majority of their wealth through philanthropy. But following their divorce earlier this year, the two will work with the campaign separately

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is reporting that many parts of the country were hit by supply chain disruptions and labor shortages in November. In a survey of business conditions around the country, the Fed’s 12 regional banks found that the economy continued to grow at a modest-to-moderate

By ANDREW MELDRUM Associated Press JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s new cases of COVID-19 have nearly doubled in just one day. The numbers released Wednesday signal a dramatic surge in the country where scientists detected the omicron variant last week.  New confirmed cases rose to 8,561 Wednesday from 4,373 a day earlier. Scientists in South

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the Federal Reserve can’t be sure that inflation will fade in the second half of next year, as many economists expect, a fresh sign of the Fed’s growing concern about rising prices. Powell, in comments to the House Financial Services

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Two budget airlines in the U.S. and Mexico say they will seek government approval to form an alliance and expand their flights across the border. Las Vegas-based Allegiant and Mexico’s Viva Aerobus said Wednesday they will seek antitrust immunity from the U.S. and Mexican governments. The airlines want to work together

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The head of Visa says he believes the pandemic caused a permanent shift of how consumers choose to pay for goods and services away from cash and into payments. In an interview with The Associated Press, CEO Al Kelly said the coronavirus outbreak helped accelerate

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — A Swedish company that provides customer care call centers and other services to businesses is building its North American headquarters in South Carolina. Transcom Worldwide AB says it will hire about 450 workers for its new location in Greenville over the next five years. The 26-year-old company has 69 customer service

By TOM KRISHER AP Auto Writer DETROIT (AP) — Citing an improved supply of automotive computer chips, General Motors raised its financial guidance on Wednesday and said it expects to return to a normal production rate by the end of next year. Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson told investors on a virtual chat with Credit

BERLIN (AP) — A court has ruled that German authorities are justified in banning three pornographic websites based in Cyprus from operating in Germany due to rules intended to protect minors. The Duesseldorf administrative court said Wednesday it had rejected complaints by the sites’ two unnamed operators, who argued that child-protection regulations in Germany didn’t