Business category, Page 56
U.S. wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
WASHINGTON — Wholesale prices in the United States rose last month, remaining low but suggesting that the American economy has yet to completely vanquish inflationary pressure. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that its producer price index — which tracks inflation before it hits consumers — rose 0.2% from...
Bluesky has added 1 million users since U.S. election as people seek alternatives to X
LOS ANGELES — Social media site Bluesky has gained 1 million new users in the week since the U.S. election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online. Bluesky said Wednesday that its total users surged to 15 million, up...
U.S. inflation rose slightly last month after 2 years of steady cooling but remained low
WASHINGTON — Inflation in the United States ticked up in October, driven by costlier rents, used cars and air fares, a sign that price increases might be leveling off after having slowed in September to their lowest pace since 2021. Consumer prices rose 2.6% from a year earlier, the Labor...
Trump’s economic agenda for his 2nd term is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates
LOS ANGELES — Donald Trump’s election win is clouding the outlook for mortgage rates even before he gets back to the White House. The president-elect campaigned on a promise to make homeownership more affordable by lowering mortgage rates through policies aimed at knocking out inflation. But his proposed economic agenda...
GM recalling big pickups and SUVs because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing risk of a crash
DETROIT — General Motors is recalling nearly 462,000 pickup trucks and big SUVs with diesel engines because the rear wheels can lock up, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall in the U.S. covers certain Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2020 through...
Kraft Heinz stops serving school-designed Lunchables because of low demand
Food and beverage manufacturer Kraft Heinz said Tuesday that it no longer is serving the Lunchables meals it created for U.S. schools. The company introduced the two packaged meals — one starring pizza and the other a turkey, cheddar cheese and cracker plate — at the beginning of the 2023-2024...
North Shore’s Esplanade development gets green light, giant Ferris wheel and all
Pittsburgh’s Planning Commission on Tuesday approved the master plan for a riverfront development that intends to bring a nearly 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel, housing, entertainment and shopping to the city’s North Shore. Dubbed Esplanade, the development would revitalize a roughly 15-acre brownfield along the Ohio River in Pittsburgh’s Chateau neighborhood. Canonsburg-based...
President’s impact on election
President-elect Donald Trump made many promises on the campaign trail. He said he would eliminate taxes on tips and overtime pay, deport masses of undocumented immigrants and solve the conflict in the Middle East. His supporters have celebrated his victory Tuesday, hoping a second Trump administration will mean a better...
Federal judge hears evidence on blocking Pyrex plant closure in Charleroi
A federal judge will decide by the end of Thursday whether to block the closure of a Pyrex-making glassware plant in Charleroi that is a major employer in the Mon Valley. The Pennsylvania Attorney General is seeking a preliminary injunction to prohibit Centre Lane Partners, a private equity firm working...
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’; what happens next is less clear
After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal battle about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe: Donald Trump. President-elect Trump, who tried to ban the social media platform the last time he...
Citizens and Molson Coors look good based on book value
Stocks that are cheap relative to book value appeal to me a great deal. What’s book value? It’s basically a company’s net worth — its assets minus its liabilities. The figure is often expressed per share of common stock. General Motors Co. (GM), for example, has a book value of...
Frustrated Americans await economic changes they voted for with Trump
WASHINGTON — Fed up with high prices and unimpressed with an economy that by just about any measure is a healthy one, Americans demanded change when they voted for president. They could get it. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to topple many of the Biden administration’s economic policies. Trump campaigned...
Hempfield semiconductor plant tabbed for possible $3 million federal investment
A Hempfield manufacturer of semiconductor chips for military and commercial aircraft, solar power projects and windmills is in line to receive $3 million in federal funding. A company official said Friday the money will be used to almost double its capacity and add jobs. “This (funding) helps to ensure the...
Federal Reserve cuts its key interest rate by a quarter-point amid postelection uncertaintyVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate Thursday by a quarter-point in response to the steady decline in the once-high inflation that had angered Americans and helped drive Donald Trump’s presidential election victory this week. The rate cut follows a larger half-point reduction in September, and it...
Slightly more Americans apply for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain at low levels
The number of Americans applying for jobless aid ticked up last week but layoffs remain at historically low levels. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claim applications rose by 3,000 to 221,000 for the week of Nov. 2. That’s fewer than the 227,000 analysts forecast. The four-week average of...
Average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rises for 6th straight week
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. rose for the sixth straight week, returning to its highest level since early July. The rate ticked up to 6.79% from 6.72% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from a year ago, when the rate...
Immersive ‘selfie’ bar set to open in Robinson
Selfie lovers will soon have a new place to snap creative content in Pittsburgh. Catwalk Selfie Bar is a new custom selfie experience set to host a grand opening celebration on Nov. 11 in Robinson. The selfie concept invites paying guests to elevate their selfie content by purchasing hour-long selfie...
Stellantis will cut 1,100 jobs at Toledo’s Jeep Gladiator plant
Stellantis NV said Wednesday it plans to cut a shift at its Toledo plant that builds Jeep Gladiator pickups, which will result in about 1,100 indefinite layoffs by early next year. The move from two to one shifts does not come as a surprise, with Gladiator sales slowing this year...
Trump win ignites crypto frenzy that sends bitcoin to a record high
LONDON — The price of bitcoin hit a new high Wednesday and crypto-related shares rallied as investors bet that former President Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election will be a boon for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin jumped nearly 8% in early trading, climbing above $75,000 and smashing its previous record...
Tesla shares soar 13% as Trump win sets stage for Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company
NEW YORK — Shares of Tesla soared Wednesday following an election that will send Donald Trump back to the White House, an outcome that had been strongly backed by CEO Elon Musk in the closing months of the race. Tesla stands to make significant gains under a Trump administration with...
Inflation explained: Utility costs driven by war, climate change and regulatory incentives
Pennsylvanians, who live in one of America’s most productive states for natural gas extraction, have seen their utility bills climb despite that ample supply. Experts say the fault lies in the trio of international energy demand, infrastructure investment and the jump in inflation during and after the covid pandemic. “Natural...
Stocks, bitcoin jump after Trump’s victory. So do worries about inflation as Dow surges 1,500
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market, Elon Musk’s Tesla, banks and bitcoin all stormed higher Wednesday as investors made bets on what Donald Trump’s return to the White House will mean for the economy and the world. Among the losers the market sees: the renewable-energy industry and potentially anyone...
Bernie Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and billionaire philanthropist, dies at 95
NEW YORK — Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the co-founder of The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement chain, a billionaire philanthropist, and a big Republican donor, has died. He was 95. Marcus died Monday in Boca Raton, Florida, surrounded by family, according to a Home Depot spokesperson. Marcus was Home...
Boeing factory workers vote to accept contract and end more than 7-week strike
SEATTLE — Unionized machinists at Boeing voted Monday to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash. Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers...
Many retailers offer ‘returnless refunds.’ Just don’t expect them to talk much about it
It’s one of the most under-publicized policies of some of the biggest U.S. retailers: sometimes they give customers full refunds and let them keep unwanted items too. Returnless refunds are a tool that more retailers are using to keep online shoppers happy and to reduce shipping fees, processing time and...
