Business category, Page 2
What Americans think about giving cash as holiday gifts
NEW YORK — Welcome to exhausted America 2025: Most adults are more than a little fine with doling out cash as gifts, and many plan to be asleep before midnight on New Year’s Eve, according to a new AP-NORC poll. About 6 in 10 Americans say cash or gift cards...
Warner Bros. asks investors to reject takeover bid from Paramount Skydance
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. is telling shareholders to reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying that a rival bid from Netflix will be better for customers. “We strongly believe that Netflix and Warner Bros. joining forces will offer consumers more choice and value, allow the creative community to...
John Dorfman: 5 flattened stocks — Biggest losers of 2025
Every December, I scrutinize the biggest losers in the stock market year-to-date. My thought is there might be gold in the rubble. In 2025, here are the five worst performers (through Dec. 12) among all U.S. stocks with a market value of at least $5 billion. • Trade Desk Inc....
Hyundai and Kia will repair millions of vehicles under a deal to fix anti-theft technology
Automakers Hyundai and Kia must offer free repairs to millions of models under a settlement announced Tuesday by Minnesota’s attorney general, who led an effort by dozens of states that argued the vehicles weren’t equipped with proper anti-theft technology, leaving them vulnerable to thefts. Under the nationwide settlement, the companies...
Kraft Heinz names new CEO to oversee its breakup
Steve Cahillane, the food and beverage industry veteran behind Kellogg’s recent split, has been tapped by Kraft Heinz to manage its pending breakup. The packaged food giant with dual headquarters in Pittsburgh and Chicago announced Cahillane’s hire as CEO on Tuesday. He’ll start Jan. 1, replacing Carlos Abrams-Rivera after about...
Chipotle eyes Irwin as 1st Pa. site of its new design
A nationwide Mexican food chain is planning to make Irwin the first site in Pennsylvania with an updated interior design for its restaurants. Chipotle Mexican Grill plans to build a restaurant next year at the site of the Denny’s along Route 30, said Bill Zuccarello, construction manager for Chipotle. The...
U.S. gained 64K jobs in November but lost 105K in October; unemployment rate at 4.6%
WASHINGTON — The United States gained a decent 64,000 jobs in November but lost 105,000 in October as federal workers departed after cutbacks by the Trump administration, the government said in delayed reports. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, highest since 2021. Both the October and November job creation numbers,...
For more than 4 decades, Thomas Jewelers has given shine to Sewickley
Justin Thomas spent time at his father’s jewelry store as a 12-year-old, where he learned how to change watch batteries, taking in all the information about the inner workings of these timepieces. His expertise has expanded past making a watch tick again as he helps fashion precious metals into beautiful...
Ford scraps fully-electric F-150 Lightning as mounting losses and falling demand hits EV plans
DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. is pivoting away from its once-ambitious electric vehicle plans amid financial losses and waning consumer demand for the vehicles in lieu of investment in more efficient gasoline-engines and hybrid EVs, the company said Monday. The Detroit automaker, which has poured billions of dollars into electrification...
Con Alma seeks donations to keep the doors open and the jazz playing
Please don’t stop the music. That’s the plea from owners of a popular live jazz restaurant venue with the launch last week of a GoFundMe campaign. They have a fundraising goal of $150,000 to pay off mounting business-related bills. Con Alma is the only jazz bar and restaurant in Downtown...
U.S. tariffs are having an uneven effect on holiday prices and purchases
NEW YORK — The Ah Louis Store in San Luis Obispo, California, turns into a winter wonderland every holiday season. Green garlands, giant nutcrackers, baubles and bows go up in early November on the historic downtown building that houses the gift shop. Inside, customers can choose from over 500 different...
Kevin Hassett says Federal Reserve can reject Trump’s views if he is chair
WASHINGTON — A leading candidate to be President Donald Trump’s choice for Federal Reserve chair said that he would present the president’s views to Fed officials for their consideration but they could reject them if they chose when making decisions on interest rates. Kevin Hassett, in an interview Sunday on...
Splurge Boutique delivers warm welcome, unique finds in O’Hara
The welcome is always warm for shoppers visiting Splurge in Fox Chapel Plaza. Owner Kym Pelcher of Fox Chapel greets every customer with the same upbeat energy. “I always try to be real positive and I have a sign that says ‘No Drama Please’ and we greet every customer. I...
Disney invests $1B in OpenAI in deal to bring characters like Mickey Mouse to Sora AI video tool
Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday. The agreement makes the Walt Disney Co. the first major content licensing...
U.S. jobless benefit applications jump to 236,000, but continuing claims are lowest since April
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits jumped last week, but the total number of those collecting benefits fell to the lowest level in eight months. U.S. jobless claim applications for the week ending Dec. 6 climbed by 44,000 to 236,000 from the previous week’s 192,000, the...
Federal Reserve cuts key rate but signals higher bar for future reductionsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row Wednesday but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months, a move that could attract ire from President Donald Trump, who has demanded steep reductions to borrowing...
Dollar General ordered to pay $1.5M in penalties for overcharging customers
Discount chain Dollar General will pay $1.5 million in penalties for allegedly overcharging customers, according to Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday. Sunday announced he reached a settlement with Dollar General Corp. and its parent company, Dolgen Corp., after an investigation found customers were being charged higher prices than what was...
Oreo is bringing zero-sugar cookies to the U.S.
Rejoice, New Year’s dieters: Oreos are getting a sugar-free option. Mondelez said Tuesday that Oreo Zero Sugar and Oreo Double Stuf Zero Sugar will go on sale in the U.S. in January. They’re a permanent addition to the company’s Oreo lineup. It’s the first time Mondelez has sold sugar-free Oreos...
U.S. job openings barely budged in October, coming in just below 7.7 million
WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings barely budged in October, coming in at 7.7 million with ongoing uncertainty over the direction of the American economy. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that employers posted 7.67 million vacancies in October, close to September’s 7.66 million. The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS),...
Federal Reserve set to cut rate but may signal a pause to come
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve faces an unusually contentious meeting this week that will test Chair Jerome Powell’s ability to corral the necessary support from fellow policymakers for a third straight interest rate cut. The Fed’s 19-member rate-setting committee is sharply divided over whether to lower borrowing costs again. The...
Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids
BOSTON — Massachusetts’ highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state’s lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that...
Paramount goes hostile in bid for Warner Bros., challenging a $72 billion offer by Netflix
NEW YORK — Paramount on Monday launched a hostile takeover offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, initiating a potentially bruising battle with rival bidder Netflix to buy the company behind HBO, CNN and a famed movie studio along with the power to reshape much of the nation’s entertainment landscape. Emerging just...
Wall Street flirts with its all-time high
NEW YORK — The U.S. stock market is flirting with its all-time high on Friday. The S&P 500 rose 0.3% and was on track earlier in the day to squeak past its record closing level, which was set in October. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 164 points, or...
Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. studio and streaming business for $72 billion
NEW YORK — Netflix has struck a deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to buy the legacy Hollywood giant’s studio and streaming business for $72 billion. The acquisition, announced Friday, would bring two of the industry’s biggest players in film and TV under one roof. Beyond its namesake television and motion...
EU hits Elon Musk’s X with 120 million euro fine for breaching bloc’s social media law
LONDON — European Union regulators on Friday fined Elon Musk’s social media platform X $140 million for breaches of the bloc’s digital regulations that they said could leave users exposed to scams and manipulation. The European Commission issued its decision following an investigation it opened two years ago into X...
