Latest Business News

FedEx, Greenbrier rise; Cisco Systems, KB Home fall, Thursday, 9/21/2023

Sep. 21, 2023 12:25 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that are trading heavily or have substantial price changes on Thursday: FedEx Corp. (FDX), up $9.93 to $260.46. The package delivery company reported strong fiscal first-quarter earnings. FactSet Research Systems Inc. (FDS), down...

The average long-term US mortgage rate edged up to 7.19% this week, slightly below its 2023 high

Sep. 21, 2023 12:24 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged up again this week, another setback for would-be homebuyers navigating an increasingly less affordable housing market. The average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose to 7.19% from 7.18% last week, mortgage...

Tech companies try to take AI image generators mainstream with better protections against misuse

Sep. 21, 2023 12:16 PM EDT

Artificial intelligence tools that can conjure whimsical artwork or realistic-looking images from written commands started wowing the public last year. But most people don't actually use them at work or home. That could change as leading tech companies are competing to mainstream the...

McCarthy gives in to right flank on spending cuts, but they still deliver a defeat as shutdown looms

Sep. 21, 2023 12:11 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emerged with a spending cut plan to prevent a federal government shutdown by appeasing his hard-right flank, only to see it quickly collapse Thursday in a crushing defeat. His latest attempt to move ahead with a traditionally popular...

An end in sight? Striking writers and Hollywood studios resume negotiations for second day

Sep. 21, 2023 12:09 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood studios and striking screenwriters are resuming negotiations for the second consecutive day Thursday. The talks could potentially put an end to the nearly five-month dispute that has brought many film and television productions to a halt. In a rare...

Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down

Sep. 21, 2023 11:58 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox's parent company and his News Corp. media holdings. Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman...

WWE's 'Smackdown' moving from Fox to USA Network in new rights deal with NBCUniversal

Sep. 21, 2023 11:27 AM EDT

WWE's popular television show, "Friday Night Smackdown," will be moving from Fox to USA Network next year under a new five-year domestic media rights partnership with NBCUniversal. “Smackdown,” a weekly two-hour live program that features wrestlers such as Roman Reigns, Charlotte...

Stock market today: Stocks slump worldwide as allure grows to buy a Treasury bill and chill

Sep. 21, 2023 11:49 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is slumping again Thursday as stock prices drop worldwide on expectations that U.S. interest rates will stay high well into next year. The S&P 500 was 1.1% lower in midday trading. That follows a similar drop from Wednesday after the Federal Reserve...

Side hustles take center stage in paying bills for Hollywood workers on strike

Sep. 21, 2023 11:49 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — Lighting for the entertainment industry is Ryan Meyer's lifeblood. Before the Hollywood strikes, he worked 40 hours a week or more as a gaffer or director of photography. He also has a company that usually earns more than a million dollars a year in production...

First private US passenger rail line in 100 years is about to link Miami and Orlando at high speed

Sep. 21, 2023 11:42 AM EDT

MIAMI (AP) — The first big test of whether privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday when Florida's Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of 125 mph (200 kph). It's a $5 billion bet...