AP National Business

By STAN CHOE and DAMIAN J. TROISE AP Business Writers NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street turned solidly higher Thursday following a weak start as a messy mix of economic reports yielded no clear sign about where the economy and inflation are heading. The S&P 500 was 0.9% higher in afternoon trading, coming off its

By MUNIR AHMED Associated Press ISLAMABAD (AP) — The International Monetary Fund has slammed Pakistan’s government over its proposal for the new annual budget, saying it failed to implement a more fair tax system in the draft. The harsh criticism by Esther Perez Ruiz, IMF’s representative for Pakistan, raised new concerns on Thursday about the

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer The U.S. cybersecurity firm Mandiant says suspected state-backed Chinese hackers exploited a vulnerability in a popular email security appliance to break into the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations globally, nearly a third of them government agencies including foreign ministries. Fifty-five percent of the targets were

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell again this week, positive news for potential homebuyers after rates reached their highest level since November earlier this month. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan slipped to 6.69% from 6.71% last week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is hosting executives from Live Nation, Airbnb and other companies at the White House on Thursday to highlight his administration’s push to end so-called junk fees that surprise consumers. Biden prioritized the effort to combat surprise or undisclosed fees in his State of the Union address and has called

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that are trading heavily or have substantial price changes on Thursday: Lennar Corp. (LEN), up $4.26 to $119.01. The homebuilder reported strong second-quarter financial results. Kroger Co. (KR), down $1.81 to $45.40. The grocery chain reported weak fiscal first-quarter revenue. NexTier Oilfield Solutions Inc. (NEX), up 47 cents to $9.40.

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Last year marked a return to normal for the theme park industry around the world with operators reporting revenues, and in some cases attendance, at par or above pre-pandemic levels, according to a new report. Globally, the theme park industry hit a peak in 2019, the year before the spread of

By CHINEDU ASADU Associated Press ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria’s central bank has ended its distorted foreign exchange rate, a move the new government in Africa’s biggest economy hopes will help woo investors and stabilize the local currency. The announcement Wednesday from the Central Bank of Nigeria led to a record fall for the naira.

By ELISE RYAN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Singer-songwriter Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is about New England — a topic the Vermont native says he could write about for the rest of his life — but it’s also largely about in-between spaces. When resentment lingers but forgiveness feels possible. When a broken friendship is

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Americans increased their spending at retailers last month despite pressure from  still-high inflation and rising borrowing costs. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that retail sales rose 0.3% from April to May, , helped by stronger sales of auto dealers. Economists were expecting a

By FRANK BAJAK AP Technology Writer The U.S. cybersecurity firm Mandiant says suspected state-backed Chinese hackers exploited a vulnerability in a popular email security appliance to break into the networks of hundreds of public and private sector organizations globally, nearly a third of them government agencies including foreign ministries. Fifty-five percent of the targets were

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting Thursday following a messy mix of economic reports that yielded no clear sign about where the economy and inflation are heading. The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in early trading, coming off its highest level since April 2022. The Dow Jones

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — Jurors in federal court have awarded $25.6 million to a former Starbucks regional manager who alleged that she and other white employees were unfairly punished after the high-profile arrests of two Black men at a Philadelphia location in 2018. Shannon Phillips won $600,000 in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has pressed ahead with another interest rate hike and is pledging more are on the way. The quarter-percentage point increase Thursday aims to crush inflation that’s driving up the cost of groceries, utility bills and summer vacations. It comes a day

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the first time in more than a decade, the average U.S. homeowner with a mortgage has less home equity than they did a year earlier. Among the roughly 63% of U.S. homes with a mortgage, average homeowner equity per borrower was $274,070 in the

By BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — All major social media platforms do poorly at protecting LGBTQ+ users from hate speech and harassment — especially those who are transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming, the advocacy group GLAAD said Thursday. But Twitter is the worst. In its annual Social Media Safety Index, GLAAD

By DAVID McHUGH AP Business Writer FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank has pressed ahead with another interest rate hike. The quarter-percentage point increase Thursday aims to crush inflation that’s driving up the cost of groceries, utility bills and summer vacations. It comes a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve took a break

CINCINNATI — Kroger: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jabil: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

By YURI KAGEYAMA and MATT OTT AP Business Writers Wall Street is pointing lower after the U.S. Federal Reserve left its benchmark borrowing rate unchanged for the first time in more than a year, but issued projections of as many as two additional quarter-point rate hikes before 2023 is over. Futures for the Dow Jones