Business category, Page 270
IRS proposes update to Form W-4 to increase accuracy
The IRS has proposed an update to the Form W-4 that it says will increase its accuracy and reduce its complexity. But experts caution that it will feel different to employees and may prove a bit more difficult for some. Employees currently fill out a one-page form that asks a...
Tariffs aimed at Mexico, but U.S. companies in line of fire
The surprise imposition by President Donald Trump of an escalating tariff regime against Mexico sent ripples through almost every economic sector in the U.S. Friday, hammering American companies that sell automobiles or run railroads, grow vegetables or create medical devices. Trump vowed to slap a 5% tariff on all Mexican...
U.S. consumer spending slows to 0.3% gain in April
WASHINGTON — Consumer spending slowed in April with inflation up, but still far below the target set by the Federal Reserve. There was a burst of spending in the prior month as well. The Commerce Department said Friday that spending increased 0.3% in April following a 1.1% surge in March...
Trump prompts protests with promise of new Mexican tariffs
WASHINGTON — In a surprise announcement that could derail a major trade deal, President Donald Trump has announced that he is placing a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying...
Critics say FCC report overstates broadband availability
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Federal Communications Commission’s broadband report is being hammered by critics who say it paints too rosy a picture of high-speed internet availability in the U.S. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined two dissenting FCC commissioners in criticizing the report released Wednesday. The FCC’s annual...
Is it ‘molecules of freedom’ or just natural gas?
It’s hard to generate interest in a news release about liquefied natural gas exports, but a high-ranking Trump administration official succeeded by calling the stuff “molecules of U.S. freedom.” Words matter after all. Earlier this week, the Energy Department announced it was approving more exports of liquefied natural gas from...
Lego, NASA partner on Lunar Lander set for 50th anniversary of moon landing
Space enthusiasts will have a chance to build a Lego replica of the Apollo 11 Lunar Lander to celebrate the anniversary of the first moon landing. Lego has partnered with NASA to release Saturday the NASA Apollo 11 Lunar Lander building set. The cost for the set is $100. July...
USW leader Leo Gerard to retire
The president of the 850,000-member United Steelworkers is retiring by mid-July, signaling a change in leadership of the the Pittsburgh-based union. Leo Gerard, who has been the USW president since 2001, will be replaced by Tom Conway, the USW International vice president, the USW announced on Wednesday. The USW is...
China dangles a potentially harmful new threat in trade warVideo
WASHINGTON — Facing new trade sanctions and a U.S. clampdown on its top telecommunications company, China issued a pointed reminder Wednesday that it has yet to unleash all its weapons in its trade war with the Trump administration. Chinese state media warned that Beijing could cut America off from exotic...
Women want the office to be warmer. Science now backs them up
What’s the perfect office temperature? Everyone you ask will have a different answer. For some people, an office climate bordering on frosty is ideal; for others, anything below subtropical necessitates a blanket, fingerless gloves and an illicit space heater. There’s no one thermostat setting that will make everyone happy. But...
Boeing 737 Max likely to be grounded for months
Boeing Co. has begun carefully mapping out the steps to ease its 737 Max back into commercial service once regulators lift a global grounding for its best-selling jetliner. The Chicago-based planemaker is planning the Max’s comeback with airlines in a series of meetings it’s been holding from Miami to Moscow,...
Uber to boot riders from app if they repeatedly misbehave
If you misbehave repeatedly while getting a ride from Uber, you could get booted off the app. The company said that starting Wednesday, riders with a rating from drivers that’s significantly below average could lose their ability to ride. But before that happens they’ll get tips on how to improve...
Cuba legalizes private Wi-Fi, importation of routers
HAVANA — Cuba is legalizing private Wi-Fi networks and the importation of equipment like routers, eliminating one of the world’s tightest restrictions on internet use. The measure announced by state media Wednesday provides a legal status to thousands of Cubans who created homemade digital networks with smuggled equipment that was...
Sports Illustrated magazine sold for $110 millionVideo
NEW YORK — Sports Illustrated magazine has been sold for $110 million to a company that specializes in managing fashion, entertainment and sports brands, including marketing rights to Shaquille O’Neal and Muhammad Ali. The seller, Meredith Corp., will continue running the print edition and the website SI.com for at least...
Chad Amond to do 4-month fellowship with U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
Chad Amond, president and CEO of the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce, has been named a Business Leads Fellow of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Amond will participate in the third cohort of the Business Leads Fellowship Program, which trains and equips leaders from state and local chambers of...
Pittsburgh region’s jobless rate drops to 3.8%, lowest since 1976
The seven-county Pittsburgh region’s 3.8% unemployment rate in April was the lowest jobless rate on record since 1976, the state said Tuesday. The jobless rate for the region — Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties — fell .1% from March to April, based on seasonal hiring factors....
While you’re sleeping, your iPhone stays busy
It’s 3 a.m. Do you know what your iPhone is doing? Mine has been alarmingly busy. Even though the screen is off and I’m snoring, apps are beaming out lots of information about me to companies I’ve never heard of. Your iPhone probably is doing the same - and Apple...
John Dorfman: Molina and Great Lakes have jumped, still look good
When a stock jumps 50% or 100% in a year, you know something is afoot. Maybe the company is firing on all cylinders. Maybe the stock was radically mispriced a year ago. Perhaps both. Once a year, around this time, I select a few stocks that have exploded upward and...
New auto giant? Fiat Chrysler wants to merge with Renault
PARIS — Fiat Chrysler proposed on Monday to merge with France’s Renault to create the world’s third-biggest automaker, worth $40 billion, and combine forces in the race to make electric and autonomous vehicles. The merged company would reshape the global industry: it would produce some 8.7 million vehicles a year,...
Arkansas newspaper gambles on free iPads as the future
HOPE, Ark. — Over a lunch of hamburger steaks, mashed potatoes and green beans, Walter Hussman delivered his pitch to the dozen or so attendees of the Hope, Arkansas, Rotary Club meeting. He promised that if they keep paying their current rate of $36 a month for subscription to the...
The highest-paid CEOs by state
Here are the top paid CEOs by state for 2018, as calculated by The Associated Press and Equilar, an executive data firm. The survey considered only publicly traded companies with more than $1 billion in revenue that filed their proxy statements with federal regulators between Jan. 1 and April 30....
CEOs averaged $800,000 pay raise in 2018, workers not so much
NEW YORK — Pay for CEOs at the biggest U.S. companies climbed 7% last year, widening the gap between chief executives and their workers, whose pay did not rise as quickly. Chief executives at S&P 500 companies earned a median of $12 million last year, roughly $800,000 more than the...
Beer industry contributes $11.5B annually to Pennsylvania’s economy
In Pennsylvania, beer brings in the bucks. A recent economic impact study shows America’s beer industry contributes $11.5 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy and provides 77,197 jobs. Commissioned by the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Beer Institute, the study shows that the jobs impacted by the beer industry in...
Theme park attendance crosses half-billion mark for 1st timeVideo
ORLANDO, Fla. — Worldwide attendance at the 10 biggest operators of amusement parks increased 4% last year and crossed the half-billion-visitors mark for the first time, according to an industry report released this week. The report by the Themed Entertainment Association and the Economics Practice at AECOM said global attendance...
House passes bill to help workers with retirement savings
WASHINGTON — The House overwhelmingly approved a bill Thursday to promote retirement security by making it easier for small businesses and other companies to offer retirement plans. The bipartisan bill, approved 417-3, also makes it easier for workers to transfer retirement plans when they change jobs and allows part-time workers...
