Business category, Page 218

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is dropping its designation of China as a currency manipulator in advance of the signing Wednesday of a Phase 1 U.S.-China trade agreement. The preliminary pact that the two sides are set to sign includes a section that’s intended to prevent China from manipulating its...

If you’re still using Microsoft’s Windows 7, your computer might soon be at risk. Microsoft will stop providing free security updates for the system on Tuesday, meaning computers using it will be more vulnerable to malware and hacking. Users who want to protect their computers need to upgrade to Windows...

NEW YORK (AP) — Internal documents reveal that Boeing employees were aware of problems with the Max 737 jet ahead of two deadly crashes, and that the company emphasized speed over safety during the approval process with the Federal Aviation Administration. The documents were made public Thursday by Boeing at...

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers downshifted on hiring in December, adding 145,000 jobs, with steady spending by Americans continuing to steer economic growth heading into a presidential election year. The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate held at 3.5% for the second straight month, prolonging a half-century low. Hiring...

Boeing employees raised doubts among themselves about the safety of the 737 Max, apparently tried to hide problems from federal regulators and ridiculed those responsible for designing and overseeing the jetliner, according to a batch of emails and texts released nearly a year after the aircraft was grounded over two...

TIERRA DEL MAR, Ore. — A battle playing out in Oregon is pitting residents of a tiny coastal town with no stoplights or cellphone service against one of the world’s biggest tech companies. Locals in Tierra del Mar are trying to stop Facebook from using property in their quiet community...

MACUNGIE — Mack Trucks plans to lay off 305 employees at its assembly plant north of Philadelphia, the company said Wednesday. Mack blamed the layoffs at its Lower Macungue Township plant on a downturn in the heavy-duty truck market. They will take effect at the end of February, The (Allentown)...

NEW YORK — Macy’s is closing 29 stores in coming weeks despite the company reporting some improvement in comparable-stores sales during the crucial holiday shopping season. In an email to the Associated Press, the Cincinnati-based retailer said the store closures include 28 Macy’s locations and one Bloomingdale’s store. It was...

DETROIT — Takata is recalling 10 million more front air bag inflators sold to 14 automakers because they can explode with too much force and hurl shrapnel. The recall is the last one the bankrupt company agreed to in a 2015 settlement with the U.S. safety regulators. It could bring...

LONDON — Facebook says it is banning “deepfake” videos, the false but realistic clips created with artificial intelligence and sophisticated tools, as it steps up efforts to fight online manipulation. The social network said late Monday that it’s beefing up its policies to remove videos edited or synthesized in ways...

NEW YORK — Uber is offering riders a four-digit pin code to help ensure they’re getting into the right car. The ride-hailing company rolled out the new feature across the U.S. and Canada Tuesday and said all riders in those two countries will be able to use pin codes by...

FORT WORTH, Texas — Pier 1 Imports is closing nearly half its 942 stores as it struggles to draw consumers and compete online. The home decor company said Monday it is closing up to 450 stores and will also shutter distribution centers. It didn’t say where the store closures would...

Over the past 21 years, my Robot Portfolio, a naive stock-picking paradigm, has more than doubled the return on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the gauge most professionals use to track the performance of the U.S. stock market. The cumulative returns: 1034% for the Robot, 379% for the S&P...

The U.S. dairy industry, the largest in the world, is under severe pressure as the consumption habits of Americans shift. Borden Dairy Co. filed for bankruptcy protection, the second major U.S. dairy to do so in as many months. Borden produces nearly 500 million gallons of milk each year for...

DEDHAM, Mass. — A woman is suing TripAdvisor after a runaway camel tossed her to the ground during a tour in Morocco. Breanne Ayala, 24, is accusing Massachusetts-based TripAdvisor and its subsidiary Viator of negligence and breach of contract for failing to ensure the camel tour company was operating safely,...

More than 500 Delta Air Lines employees have filed a class-action lawsuit against Lands’ End, alleging that the uniforms provided by the clothing company are “toxic” and causing some workers health issues. The new duds worn by thousands of flight attendants and maintenance workers “pose an ongoing, unreasonable risk of...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve’s policymaking committee saw much less risk of recession at its meeting last month, when it kept interest rates steady after three straight cuts and signaled that it expected to keep low rates unchanged through this year. Minutes of the December meeting, released Friday, showed that...

WASHINGTON — U.S. manufacturing activity fell to the lowest level in more than a decade, as the sector was hurt by weakening demand and last year’s global economic slowdown. The Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, said Friday that its manufacturing index dropped to 47.2 in December,...

PHOENIX — U-Haul International has announced plans to stop interviewing and hiring nicotine users, including people who use e-cigarettes and vaping products. The well-known truck and trailer rental company approved the nicotine-free policy set to go into effect Feb. 1 in more than 20 states where the company operates, the...

NEW YORK — Amazon employees say the company is threatening to fire workers for publicly pushing the company to do more to combat climate change. Amazon Employees For Climate Justice, a climate change advocacy group founded by Amazon workers, said Thursday that the company sent letters to members telling them...

WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials will begin cracking down on most flavored e-cigarettes that are popular with underage teenagers, but their plan includes major exceptions that benefit vaping manufacturers, retailers and adults who use the nicotine-delivery devices. The Trump administration announced Thursday that it will prohibit fruit, candy, mint and...

NEW YORK — The children are playing with their gifts, the new TV is up on the wall, and that puppy has a brand-new cashmere-lined bed, when another gift arrives in the mail. This one isn’t from Santa. It’s your statement from your friendly credit card company. They want to...

TOKYO — Nissan’s former Chairman Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday from Lebanon that he was not fleeing justice but instead left Japan to avoid “injustice and political persecution” over financial misconduct allegations during his tenure leading the automaker. Ghosn had been released on bail by a Tokyo court while awaiting trial...