Business category, Page 44
U.S. retail sales plunged along with temperatures in January after a bustling holiday season
WASHINGTON — U.S. retail sales dropped sharply last month, in part because cold weather kept more Americans indoors, denting sales at car dealers and most other stores. Retail sales dropped 0.9% in January from the previous month, the Commerce Department said, after two months of healthy gains. It was a...
TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in U.S.
HONG KONG — TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the U.S., after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a TikTok ban. TikTok, which is operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on Jan. 18 to comply...
Sewickley’s latest boutique, Picket Fence was inspired by similar family-owned stores
One of the newest businesses in Sewickley, The Picket Fence, opened last fall to a warm welcome from the community. “Sewickley is a wonderful neighborhood,” said Maureen Staley, who co-owns the business with her sister and their mother, Patti Staley. “It has a good community presence, and people have told...
Igloo recalls over a million coolers after handle hazard causes fingertip amputation injuries
NEW YORK — Igloo is recalling more than 1 million of its coolers sold across the U.S., Mexico and Canada due to a handle hazard that has resulted in a handful of fingertip injuries, including some amputations. The now-recalled “Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers” have a tow...
Brooke Rollins confirmed as Trump’s agriculture secretary as tariff fights loom
WASHINGTON — Conservative lawyer Brooke Rollins was confirmed Thursday as secretary of agriculture. Rollins, who served as chief for domestic policy during President Donald Trump’s first administration, was confirmed overwhelmingly by the Senate in a 72-28 vote. Rollins will now lead a department tasked with overseeing nearly all aspects of...
Chocolate love has its price on Valentine’s Day as cocoa costs make hearts shudder, not flutter
BRUGES, Belgium — Valentine’s Day chocolates always seek to show how deep your love is. This year, it might just also show how deep your pockets are. With the price of cocoa beans setting unprecedented records on the commodities market, it will certainly turn the gift of love into a...
U.S. egg prices hit a record high of $4.95 and are likely to keep climbing
OMAHA, Neb. — Egg prices hit a record high as the U.S. contends with an ongoing bird flu outbreak, but consumers didn’t need government figures released Wednesday to tell them eggs are terribly expensive and hard to find at times. The latest monthly consumer price index showed that the average...
Breakfast is booming at U.S. restaurants. Is it also contributing to high egg prices?
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade...
The number of Americans seeking jobless benefits falls as employers continue to hold on to workers
U.S. applications for unemployment benefits fell last week as employers continue to retain workers despite resurgent inflation and elevated interest rates. The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits fell by 7,000 to 213,000 for the week ending Feb. 8, the Labor Department said Thursday. Analysts projected that 215,000 new...
Trump signs a plan for reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners, ushering in economic uncertainty
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday rolled out his plan to increase U.S. tariffs to match the tax rates that other countries charge on imports, possibly triggering a broader economic confrontation with allies and rivals alike as he hopes to eliminate any trade imbalances. “I’ve decided for purposes of...
Expert, business opinions split over Trump tariffs on steel, aluminum
If the stock market is any indication, domestic steel and aluminum manufacturers can expect a boost from the 25% import tax on these materials imposed by President Donald Trump. U.S. Steel, Alcoa and a slew of other companies that stand to benefit from Monday’s executive order have seen their stock...
John Dorfman: 5 Balance Sheet Powerhouses I recommend
“Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing,” said football coach Vince Lombardi years ago. Many investors feel the same way about earnings. Excuse me, Lombardi disciples, but earnings aren’t the only thing. To withstand unexpected hardships or to seize timely opportunities, a company’s financial strength is also key. Once a...
Joann Fabrics and Crafts closing most Western Pa. stores
Fabric and crafts retailer Joann will close at least 30 stores in Pennsylvania, including most in the region. The embattled retailer, which declared bankruptcy in March 2024 and then again in January, said it would be closing around 500 stores nationwide. “This was a very difficult decision to make, given...
Frontier makes another takeover bid for Spirit Airlines and it is rejected, again
Spirit Airlines has again rejected a third takeover bid from budget rival Frontier, saying that it would focus on its own plan to emerge from bankruptcy and stabilize its finances. The offer this week, like the last bid, offers Spirit shareholders $400 million in debt and a 19% stake in...
U.S. inflation got worse with rising groceries and gasoline prices
WASHINGTON — U.S. inflation accelerated last month as the cost of groceries, gasoline and rents rose, a disappointment for families and businesses struggling with higher costs and likely underscoring the Federal Reserve’s resolve to delay further interest rate cuts. The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year...
Goodbye, Lincoln? Few lament possible loss of penny as Trump orders Mint to halt production
Ending production of the penny makes sense, a cross-section of area coin collectors and business owners told TribLive after a directive to do so was ordered this week by President Donald Trump. But Trump doesn’t appear to have the authority to make the decision. The U.S. Mint is part of...
Roses are red, violets are blue, 940 million flowers are traveling (through Miami) to you
MIAMI — If any husbands or boyfriends mess up Valentine’s Day this week, it’s not because of a shortage of flowers. In the run up to Feb. 14, agricultural specialists at Miami International Airport have processed about 940 million stems of cut flowers, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection....
Trump steel, aluminum tariffs likely to drive up car costs, industry leaders say
DETROIT — President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel imports this week could wreak havoc on American auto manufacturing, industry leaders say. The moves align with the Trump administration’s aggressive global trade agenda and ambitions to strengthen U.S. industry, but they could have an inverse effect. On March 12, all steel...
White House fires USAID inspector general after warning about funding oversight, officials say
WASHINGTON — The White House fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday, U.S. officials said, a day after his office warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in unspent humanitarian funds. The White...
EU vows countermeasures to Trump’s tariffs; bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles easy targets
BRUSSELS — U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc. It means iconic U.S. industries like bourbon, jeans and motorcycles should beware. “The EU will act to...
How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied his electric car company Tesla and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles. Now, Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump means many...
Trump once again slaps taxes on foreign steel, aluminum, a move that proved costly in his 1st term
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is hitting foreign steel and aluminum with a 25% tax. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he did pretty much the same thing during his first term. Trump’s original metals tariffs gave America’s struggling steel and aluminum producers some relief from intense global competition, allowing...
As egg prices continue to soar, grocers like Trader Joe’s limit how many cartons customers can buy
Not only are eggs expensive because of the ongoing bird flu outbreak. Now they are getting hard to find. And even when stores do have eggs, consumers are starting to face limits on how many they can buy. Eggs have even become such a hot commodity that there have even...
Elon Musk-led group proposes buying OpenAI for $97 billion. OpenAI CEO says ‘no thank you’
LOS ANGELES — A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy OpenAI, escalating a legal dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found. Musk and his own AI startup, xAI, and a consortium of investment firms want to take control of...
Trump says he will announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs, and more import duties are coming
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he will announce Monday the United States will impose 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada and Mexico, as well as other import duties later in the week. “Any steel coming into the United States is going to have a...
