Home Depot's same-store sales surge in final quarter of 2019

Home Depot reported a better-than-expected fourth quarter with strong comparable-store sales. The home improvement retailer also boosted its quarterly dividend by 10%. Shares rose 3% in premarket trading Tuesday. “Home Depot’s numbers are important as they, perhaps more than those of other...

Asian shares extend losses after Dow drops more than 1,000

Shares are mostly lower in Asia on Tuesday after Wall Street suffered its worst session in two years, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumping more than 1,000 points on fears that a viral outbreak that began in China will weaken the world economy. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 3%, to 22,686.61 after it...

Markets tank on concern about virus impact on world economy

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares skidded, oil prices sank and the price of gold surged on Monday as the number of people infected or killed by the viral outbreak that began in China surged, heaping more uncertainty on the economic outlook. The decline promises a sharp drop on Wall Street when it opens and comes after...

Oregon business tax greeted with confusion, consternation

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Ross Stock has known since last spring that his softwood lumber mill in Toledo would be subject to Oregon’s new, $1 billion business tax. Nine months later, though, he still doesn’t know what it will cost him. The new corporate activity tax, which went into effect...

Stocks sink, Treasury prices soar as investors seek safety

Stocks fell and bond prices rose sharply on Wall Street Friday amid signs that economic fallout from the viral outbreak that originated in China is hurting U.S. companies. The yield on the 30-year Treasury reached a record low as investors sought the safety of U.S. government bonds. The price of gold climbed...

World markets slip on renewed fears over virus outbreak

BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets slipped on Friday after a spike in new virus cases in South Korea and other countries refueled investor anxiety about China's disease outbreak. Benchmarks in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney closed down and London, Frankfurt and other European indexes were trading lower. Wall...

Fed seems inclined to keep rates low as virus poses risks

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials were mostly optimistic about the U.S. and global economies last month, though they noted the risk posed by China’s viral outbreak and said they were ready to keep their benchmark interest rate at its current low level in the coming months. Fed policymakers...

US wholesale prices up 0.5% in January, most since late 2018

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. producer prices climbed last month at fastest pace since October 2018 as higher prices for services more than offset a drop in the cost of energy. The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer price index, which measures inflationary pressures before they reach the consumer,...

Producer prices rise 0.5% in January, most since October 2018

UK inflation jumps higher, reducing likelihood of rate cut

LONDON (AP) — Consumer price inflation in Britain jumped higher in January, official figures showed Wednesday, undermining the case for the central bank to cut interest rates as it had been expected to do. The annual inflation rate rose to 1.8% from 1.3% in December, the national statistics agency said, an...