Business category, Page 119
McDonald’s franchises fined for child labor violations
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two 10-year-olds are among 300 children who worked at McDonald’s restaurants illegally, a Labor Department investigation of franchisees in Kentucky found. Agency investigators found the 10-year-olds received little or no pay at a McDonald’s in Louisville, the Labor Department said. The three franchisees were fined $212,000 in...
FTC: Facebook misled parents, failed to guard kids’ privacy
U.S. regulators say Facebook misled parents and failed to protect the privacy of children using its Messenger Kids app, including misrepresenting the access it provided to app developers to private user data. As a result, The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to a 2020 privacy order with...
Google to open 2 more data centers in Ohio
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Google plans to build two more data centers in Ohio to help power its artificial intelligence technology and other tools, the company and state officials announced Wednesday. With one data center already up and running near Columbus, the two new locations will bring Google’s total investment in...
Fed raises key rate but hints it may pause amid bank turmoil
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signaled that it may now pause its streak of 10 rate hikes, which have made borrowing for consumers...
Bud Light sales fizzle in Western Pennsylvania amid transgender boycott
The backlash brewing from a movement to boycott Bud Light because of its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has drastically cut sales of the top-selling brand at numerous Pittsburgh-area beer distributors. But the sharp dip since Mulvaney’s Instagram post April 1 to promote Bud Light’s March Madness contest does...
Pittsburgh Brewing’s IC’d Tea returns to shelves after selling out
The new combination of two beloved Pittsburgh beverages — Turner’s iced tea and Iron City Beer — is back on the shelves. Pittsburgh Brewing Company’s new creation, IC’d Tea, hit shelves across Southwestern Pennsylvania in mid-April. Demand was strong and about a week later it had completely sold out, said...
Lyft’s new CEO tackles a job requiring some heavy lifting
SAN FRANCISCO — Even before he joined Lyft’s board in 2021, David Risher had taken hundreds of trips as a passenger so he felt like he knew a lot about the ride-hailing service. But he never expected to be thrust into the driver’s seat at a time when Lyft was...
U.S. job openings dip to 9.6 million, lowest since 2021
WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings fell in March to the lowest level in nearly two years, a sign that the American labor market is cooling in the face of higher interest rates. Employers posted 9.6 million vacancies in March, down from nearly 10 million in February and lowest since April...
Giant Eagle plans price reductions, return of circulars, interim CEO says
Giant Eagle is listening. That’s the message the O’Hara-based chain wants to make clear to customers. Whether it’s about the printed weekly circular (reappearing soon because of high demand) or price reductions on items (starting this week), Giant Eagle wants your feedback. It’s been about six weeks since Bill Artman,...
Millennial Money: Trusts can aid those with mental illness
More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder during their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chances are, some of these individuals will be inheriting wealth at some point. If a family member’s mental health issues may interfere with their...
Comcast pulls NFL Network after carriage agreement expires
NEW YORK — Comcast subscribers aren’t able to view NFL Network after the cable company pulled the channel when its carriage agreement expired. The move comes two days after the conclusion of the NFL draft. Both sides still have time to reach an agreement before training camps start throughout the...
Treasury’s Yellen says U.S. could default as soon as June 1
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the nation’s borrowing authority before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis. In a letter to...
Lordstown Motors warns of bankruptcy as Foxconn deal unravels
Lordstown Motors Corp. may be forced to cease operations and file for bankruptcy after manufacturing giant Foxconn told the electric-vehicle company that it’s prepared to pull out of a production partnership. The deal with Foxconn Technology Group could unravel after the Taiwanese company threatened to withhold funding, something that could...
FDIC recommends overhauling U.S. insurance deposit system
NEW YORK — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is recommending the U.S. rethink its decades-old policy of insuring up to $250,000 in bank deposits and replace it with an overhaul that would allow regulators to cover higher amounts on a “targeted” basis. The proposed change appears to openly acknowledge that...
Is my money safe? What you need to know about bank failures
NEW YORK — Recent turmoil in the banking industry may have you worried about your money. Officials announced Monday that they closed San Francisco-based First Republic Bank, making it the third U.S. bank to collapse in the past two months. Most of First Republic’s assets are being acquired by JPMorgan....
First Republic Bank seized, sold in fire sale to JPMorgan
NEW YORK — Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank early Monday, making it the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history, and promptly sold all of its deposits and most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase in a bid to end the turmoil that has raised questions about the health of...
Old Faithful picks have more than doubled S&P 500
Walk up to any graduate student in finance. Ask her to design a stock-picking screen. I’ll bet you a milkshake that she will design something more complex than my Old Faithful stock-selection paradigm. Yet, my picks in this column drawn from Old Faithful have averaged more than a 19% return...
Fed faults Silicon Valley Bank execs, itself in bank failure
WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve blamed last month’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on poor management, watered-down regulations and lax oversight by its own staffers, and said the industry needs stricter policing on multiple fronts to prevent future bank failures. The Fed was highly critical of its own role in...
A key inflation gauge tracked by Fed remained high in March
WASHINGTON — A key index of underlying inflation that is closely followed by the Federal Reserve remained elevated last month, keeping the Fed on track to raise interest rates next week for the 10th time since March of last year. The index, which excludes volatile food and energy costs to...
Europe’s economy barely grows as inflation pinches consumers
FRANKFURT, Germany — The European economy scraped out meager growth in the first three months of the year, barely gaining momentum as stubborn inflation raises the price of groceries and erodes people’s willingness to spend paychecks that are failing to keep pace. Friday’s less-than-stellar increase of 0.1% from the previous...
Pirates are hot, and so is their merchandise
Bucco fever is contagious, and the wins on the field don’t just mean good numbers in the standings. Those wins can add up off the field, too — in terms of dollars. According to the Pirates official retail partner Fanatics, which handles both in-venue retail and e-commerce for the team,...
American Airlines reports 1Q profit for first time in 4 years
American Airlines recorded a first-quarter profit for the first time in four years, CEO Robert Isom told investors Thursday. The Fort Worth carrier produced a record $12.2 billion revenue, a 37% year-over-year increase. The bulk of that came from passenger revenue at $11.1 billion. “American is off to a fantastic...
Southwest reports $159 million 1Q loss on meltdown effects
DALLAS — Southwest Airlines lost $159 million in the first quarter as it felt aftershocks from the December meltdown that caused thousands of canceled flights. The airline said Thursday, however, that it made money in March and expects to be solidly profitable in the April-through-June quarter that includes the start...
China pushes to digitize mines in attempt to make them safer
SHENMU, China — China is using “smart” technology to try to improve its safety record in coal mines, as part of a push by the National Energy Administration to bolster output and stem frequent accidents and collapses. Smart-mine sensors monitor aspects such as gas buildup and flooding or ventilation levels,...
Twitter changes stoke Russian, Chinese propaganda surge
WASHINGTON — Twitter accounts operated by authoritarian governments in Russia, China and Iran are benefiting from recent changes at the social media company, researchers said this week, making it easier for them to attract new followers and broadcast propaganda and disinformation to a larger audience. The platform is no longer...
