Markets have muted reaction to long-awaited China trade deal

Wall Street closed out a listless day Friday with tiny gains and more record highs for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The U.S. and China revealed they have reached an initial deal in their long-running trade war. The “Phase 1” agreement means that the U.S. won't impose new tariffs on Chinese goods that...

Holiday shopping off to slow start, US retail sales up 0.2%

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales rose at a modest pace in November as the holiday shopping season appeared to have a slow start. The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% in November, down from 0.4% in the previous month. Healthy car sales lifted the...

US retail sales rose 0.2% last month as holiday shopping gets off to a slow start

Pound and stocks jump on UK election, talk of US-China deal

BANGKOK (AP) — Stock markets and the British pound rose Friday after Britain's Conservative Party claimed a big win in the country's general election, easing uncertainty over Brexit, and amid talk of a China-U.S. trade deal. The British pound jumped to $1.3470 from $1.3150 late Thursday but then eased back...

Pound jumps on expected Tory win; trade talk lifts shares

BANGKOK (AP) — The British pound surged early Friday as exit polls indicated a resounding election victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, as talk of a China-U.S. trade deal buoyed share prices in Asia. The British pound strengthened to $1.3468 from $1.3385 late Thursday as...

ICE, IRS search Hispanic grocery stores in Atlanta area

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal agents executed search warrants at multiple branches of a Hispanic grocery chain in the Atlanta area and took three people into custody on Thursday, an official said. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were working alongside the IRS at six Super Mercado Jalisco...

Fears mount that New Jersey shooting was anti-Semitic attack

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — Fears that a deadly shooting at a Jewish market in Jersey City was an anti-Semitic attack mounted on Wednesday as authorities recounted how a man and woman deliberately pulled up to the place in a stolen rental van with at least one rifle and got out firing. A day after the...

Asian shares mixed as Fed leaves rates unchanged

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Thursday, after a wobbly day on Wall Street following the Federal Reserve announcement it would leave interest rates unchanged. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.2% in early trading to 23,433.83, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.7% to 6,706.90. South...

Jersey City victims remembered as dedicated, charitable

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) — The victims of Tuesday's shooting in Jersey City included a veteran police officer, a mother of three, a rabbinical student and a store employee. ___ THE POLICE DETECTIVE Detective Joseph Seals, 40, was a married father of five. Jersey City police officials said Seals led the...

Ollie's, Cummins post gains while GameStop, Home Depot fall

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily on Wednesday: Ollie's Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc., up $9.03 to $69.33 The retailer named John Swygert as its new CEO and reported surprisingly strong third-quarter profit and revenue. Schlumberger Ltd., up $1.06 to $38.40 The oilfield...