Business category, Page 161
Don’t dawdle with latest iPhone update. Here’s why and how
Apple regularly issues updates to the software powering the iPhone, and sometimes it’s OK to dawdle when it comes to installing them. But that’s not the case with its latest — an upgrade that Apple released Wednesday to close a security hole that could allow hackers to seize control of...
Downtown Greensburg Citizens Bank closed for remodeling
Downtown Greensburg’s Citizens Bank branch is closed for remodeling through mid-September. Spokeswoman Eleni Garbis said the location at 400 S. Main St., next to City Hall, is expected to reopen with a new look on Sept. 15. The branch has been closed since Aug. 10. As part of the makeover,...
Comcast supports small businesses in Pittsburgh area with RISE grants
Since 2020, Comcast Corp. has taken the initiative to support representation, investment, strength and empowerment by providing grants and marketing, media and technology services to small businesses. Comcast’s RISE program — Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment — began by providing services to small businesses owned by people of color, including...
Fewer Americans file for jobless benefits last week
WASHINGTON — Slightly fewer Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continues to stand out as one of the strongest segments of the U.S. economy. Applications for jobless aid for the week ending August 13 fell by 2,000 to 250,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Last...
Airbnb is rolling out new screening tools to stop parties
SAN FRANCISCO — Airbnb says it will use new methods to spot and block people who try to use the short-term rental service to throw a party. The company said this week it has introduced technology that examines the would-be renter’s history on Airbnb, how far they live from the...
U.S. retail sales were flat in July as inflation takes a toll
WASHINGTON — The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many households to spend more cautiously. Retail purchases were flat in July after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. America’s consumers, whose spending accounts...
Target takes a hit after heavy discounts to clear inventory
NEW YORK — Target reported solid sales for the fiscal second quarter but its profit plunged nearly 90% after it was forced to slash prices to clear unwanted inventories of clothing, home goods and electronics. In early June, Target warned that it was canceling orders from suppliers and aggressively cutting...
White House receives plan on ending railway contract dispute
OMAHA, Neb. — The special board appointed by President Joe Biden to intervene in stalled railroad contract talks submitted its recommendations Tuesday to the White House on a potential deal covering 115,000 rail workers and avert a strike, but details of their recommendations weren’t immediately available. Railroads and unions will...
Former ITT Tech students get $3.9B in debt cancellation
WASHINGTON — Students who used federal loans to attend ITT Technical Institute as far back as 2005 will automatically get that debt canceled after authorities found “widespread and pervasive misrepresentations” at the defunct for-profit college chain, the Biden administration announced Tuesday. The action will cancel $3.9 billion in federal student...
Trisha Gadson named CEO of Jefferson Regional Foundation
Trisha M. Gadson, Ph.D. has been appointed to the helm of the Jefferson Regional Foundation as its new chief executive officer. The foundation maintains assets of more than $107 million and is dedicated to investing in the health and vitality of the communities served by Jefferson Hospital in the South...
American Airlines places deposit on 20 supersonic planes
American Airlines has agreed to buy up to 20 supersonic jets and put down a non-refundable deposit on the planes that are still on the drawing board and years away from flying. Neither American nor the manufacturer Boom Supersonic would provide financial details Tuesday, including the size of American’s deposit....
FAA warns that staffing shortage will delay flights in New York
The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that it was reducing flights in the area around New York City because of lack of staffing. Departing and arriving flights could be delayed up to two hours at John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark (New Jersey) Liberty International airports, the FAA said....
John Dorfman: What stocks would value saint Ben Graham like today?
Value investors speak in reverential tones about Benjamin Graham. A hedge-fund manager, Columbia University professor and author, Graham (1884-1976) is widely considered the father of value investing. Once a year, I attempt to guess what stocks the maestro would buy if he were alive today. Graham Method I use a...
Starbucks asks labor board to halt union votes temporarily
Starbucks is asking the National Labor Relations Board to temporarily suspend all union elections at its U.S. stores after a career employee with the labor board told the company of alleged improper coordination between regional NLRB officials and the union. In a letter sent Monday to the NLRB, Starbucks said...
Expanded IRS free-file system one step closer in Dems’ bill
WASHINGTON — The flagship climate change and health care bill passed by Democrats and soon to be signed by President Joe Biden will bring U.S. taxpayers one step closer to a government-operated electronic free-file tax return system. It’s something lawmakers and advocates have been seeking for years. For many Americans,...
Best Buy trims jobs after it cuts sales and profit outlook
NEW YORK — Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, is trimming jobs in an effort to adjust to new changes in consumer behavior as the virus wanes. Best Buy declined to say how many jobs it was cutting, but The Wall Street Journal, which was first to report...
Wall Street builds on gains, heads for 4-week winning streak
Stocks rose broadly in morning trading on Wall Street Friday and added to weekly gains for the major indexes. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% as of 10:19 a.m. Eastern and roughly 85% of stocks in the benchmark index gained ground. It is on track for its first four-week winning streak...
J&J to halt talc baby powder implicated in cancer litigation
Johnson & Johnson announced today that it will transition to an all cornstarch-based baby powder portfolio, and will globally discontinue talc-based powder in 2023. “We continuously evaluate and optimize our portfolio to best position the business for long-term growth,” the company said in a statement. “This transition will help simplify...
Pirates owner Bob Nutting to buy Wigle Whiskey, Threadbare Cider & Mead
Pittsburgh-based craft distillery Wigle Whiskey announced Thursday that it will be selling its operation to Pittsburgh Pirates owner and multi-millionaire Bob Nutting. Wigle operates a distillery in the Strip District that produces whiskey, gin and other spirits. The company also runs a facility in Spring Garden that produces hard cider...
EU says U.S. electric vehicle tax credit could break World Trade rules
BRUSSELS — The European Union expressed concern Thursday that a new U.S. tax credit plan aimed at encouraging Americans to buy electric vehicles would discriminate against European producers and break World Trade Organization rules. Under the Inflation Reduction Act nearing final approval in the U.S. Congress, a tax credit of...
PNC Bank says it will eliminate insufficient funds fees
PNC Bank personal checking account customers will no longer have to pay non-sufficient fund fees. The bank said today that “it will no longer charge any consumer deposit account customers non-sufficient fund (NSF) fees. This marks the company’s latest effort to enhance the financial well-being of its customers and extends...
U.S. unemployment claims rise to highest level since November
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who signed up for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since November, though the U.S. job market continues to show signs of strength. Applications for jobless aid climbed by 14,000 to 262,000 and now have risen five out of the past...
Disney+ subscribers are going to have to pay more to avoid commercials
Disney+ subscribers will start seeing ads on the popular streaming service in December. That is, unless they opt to pay more. Walt Disney Co. on Wednesday said it would launch tiered versions of the service on Dec. 8. Current subscribers who continue to pay $8 a month for the “basic”...
Elon Musk sells $7B in Tesla shares ahead of Twitter fight
Elon Musk has sold nearly $7 billion worth of shares in Tesla as the billionaire gets his finances in order ahead of his court battle with Twitter. Musk disclosed in series of regulatory filings that he unloaded about 8 million shares of his company Tesla Inc. in recent days. “In...
Lower prices offer Americans slight reprieve from inflationVideo
WASHINGTON — Falling prices for gas, airline tickets and clothes gave Americans a little bit of relief last month, though overall inflation is still running at close to its highest level in four decades. Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in July compared with a year earlier, the government said Wednesday, down...
