Business category, Page 195
John Dorfman: 91-year-old man wins my stock-picking competition
In a crazy-good year for stocks, Robert Zedler, a 91-year-old retiree in Suffolk, Va., won Dorfman’s Three Stock Derby with a 334% return. Despite his age, Zedler’s picks in my stock-selection contest were newish companies. His biggest gainer was Plug Power Inc. (PLUG), a maker of hydrogen fuel cells. That...
Kennametal quarterly earnings up dramatically
A year after the pandemic clamped down on the world’s economy, Kennametal Inc. said Monday its net income for the three-month period ending March 31 rose dramatically to $22.9 million from $2.2 million a year ago, even though sales grew only slightly to $484.6 million, from $483 million for the...
Verizon sells internet trailblazers Yahoo and AOL for $5BVideo
AOL and Yahoo are being sold again, this time to a private equity firm. Wireless company Verizon will sell Verizon Media, which consists of the once-pioneering tech platforms, to Apollo Global Management in a $5 billion deal. Verizon said Monday that it will keep a 10% stake in the new...
Wall Street logs gains Monday on strong earnings
Health care and energy companies helped push stocks higher Monday, as Wall Street kicked off the first trading day in May with more gains after a four-month winning streak. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. Industrial and financial stocks also helped lift the market. Falling technology and communication stocks, and companies...
Growth in U.S. manufacturing slowed in April from March high
WASHINGTON — Growth in U.S. manufacturing slowed slightly in April partly due to a snarled global supply chain after hitting a 37-year high in March. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity fell last month to a reading...
Apple’s app store goes on trial in threat to ‘walled garden’
SAN RAMON, Calif. — On Monday, Apple faces one of its most serious legal threats in recent years: A trial that threatens to upend its iron control over its app store, which brings in billions of dollars each year while feeding more than 1.6 billion iPhones, iPads, and other devices....
Stocks move lower, still head for 3rd straight monthly gain
Stocks fell broadly in afternoon trading as investors backed away from technology and communications companies. Despite the decline, the market is on pace for its best month so far this year, as investors remain optimistic that the pandemic is slowly and steadily coming to a close. The S&P 500 was...
U.S. Steel nixes $1 billion upgrades at Mon Valley Works facilities
Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel will cancel plans for more than $1 billion in upgrades and investment at the Mon Valley Works facilities, CEO David Burritt said in a letter to the community released Friday. The projects, worth more than $1.2 billion collectively, were announced just under two years ago, in May...
U.S. wages and benefits jump as economy reopens
WASHINGTON — Wages and benefits grew quickly for U.S. workers in the first three months of the year, a sign that businesses are starting to offer higher pay to fill newly-opened jobs. U.S. workers’ total compensation rose 0.9% in the January-March quarter, the largest gain in more than 13 years,...
EU accuses Apple of antitrust breach over App Store rules
LONDON — European Union regulators are accusing Apple of violating the bloc’s antitrust laws, alleging that the company distorts competition for music streaming through rules for its App Store. The EU’s executive Commission said Friday it objected to how Apple applies rules in its App Store to music streaming services...
Stocks end higher, pushing S&P 500 to another record high
Stocks overcame a midday stumble on Wall Street to close broadly higher Thursday, driving the S&P 500 to another record high. The benchmark index rose 0.7% after having been down 0.2% earlier. Communications companied helped power a big part of the gain, led by a sharp rise in Facebook following...
Economy in first quarter grows at 6.4% annualized rate as effects of covid waneVideo
WASHINGTON — Just a year after a new coronavirus blew a crater-size hole in the U.S. economy, the recovery gained momentum in the first quarter as growth surged at a strong 6.4% annual rate, government data released Thursday show. Economists and government policymakers believe there’s more good news to come....
McDonald’s comes roaring back as restrictions ease
As America emerges from the pandemic, it’s heading to McDonald’s. First quarter sales surpassed numbers even two years ago, long before covid-19, led by a big jump in U.S. demand. McDonald’s revenue rose 9% to $5.1 billion for the January-March period. That beat Wall Street’s forecast of $5 billion, according...
Toyota to invest $803 million, add 1,400 new jobs in Indiana
Toyota says it will invest $803 million and add 1,400 new jobs at its Indiana auto manufacturing plant so it can produce two new SUVs there, one of which will be the first Lexus made at the plant. The Japanese automaker says both new vehicles — which it calls “electrified”...
Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell sales bounce as restrictions ease
LOUISVILLE, Ken. — Profit for the company that runs Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC restaurants more than tripled during the first quarter and same-store sales surged as coronavirus restrictions began to lift this year. Yum Brands earned $326 million, or $1.07 per share, for the period ended March 31,...
FAA aims to fine disruptive air passengers up to $31,750
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday that it is seeking fines of up to $31,750 for three more passengers who allegedly disrupted flights by disobeying or interfering with flight attendants. They mark the latest in a series of civil penalties sought by FAA since the agency announced a...
Stocks end a wobbly day mixed, S&P 500 still near record
Stock indexes closed out a wobbly day of trading on Wall Street with a mixed finish Tuesday, leaving the S&P 500 index just below its all-time high. The benchmark index slipped less than 0.1% after wavering between small gains and losses for much of the day. Losses in technology, health...
Ford to develop, produce its own electric vehicle batteries
DETROIT — Saying that it wants to control the key technology for electric vehicles, Ford plans to open a battery development center near Detroit by the end of next year. The company said the 200,000-square-foot facility will have equipment to design, test and even do small-scale manufacturing of battery cells...
UPS stock hits all-time high on soaring demand for delivery
NEW YORK — Small businesses in the U.S. fueled demand for delivery, helping UPS post better-than-expected earnings and revenue for the first quarter of the year. That sent the company’s stock to an all-time high Tuesday morning. UPS is one of the few companies that benefited from the pandemic as...
U.S. consumer confidence jumps to 14-month high
WASHINGTON — Consumer confidence rose sharply for a second straight month, hitting the highest level since the pandemic began, as the rapid rollout of vaccines and another round of U.S. financial support for Americans boosts optimism. The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its consumer confidence index advanced to a better-than-expected...
U.S. home prices rose 11.9% in February, fastest since 2014
WASHINGTON — U.S. home prices rose in February at the fastest pace in nearly seven years as strong demand for housing collided with a tight supply of homes on the market. The February &P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city home price index, released Tuesday, rose 11.9% from a year earlier, the biggest...
Biden signs $15 minimum wage for federal contract workers
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour for federal contractors, providing a pay bump to hundreds of thousands of workers. Biden administration officials said that the higher wages would lead to greater worker productivity, offsetting any additional costs...
John Dorfman: Old Faithful screen has lived up to its name
I’ve never seen the Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park. But I’m grateful to it. Years ago, I named one of my stock screens (computerized stock-picking aids) after it. And it has indeed served me faithfully. I use the screen to help pick stocks for clients, and once a...
Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rebound in March
WASHINGTON — Orders for big-ticket manufactured goods rebounded 0.5% in March as U.S. factories recovered from February weather disruptions. However, the recovery was not as strong as most had expected due to ongoing supply chain disruptions that continue to ensnare U.S. manufacturers. It was the tenth time in the past...
Stocks reach more records as earnings kick into high gear
Technology companies helped lift stocks modestly higher Monday on Wall Street, nudging the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes to all-time highs. The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, with only slightly more than half the companies in the index notching gains. Banks and companies that rely on consumer spending were among the...
