US consumer confidence remains high after January downturn
SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence declined this month as persistent inflation and the highly-contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus dinged the optimism…
AP Wire
Stocks end lower on Wall Street after another volatile day
Another volatile bout of trading on Wall Street ended with a broad pullback for stocks Tuesday, as investors grapple with economic red flags and uncertainty…
Iowa’s December unemployment rate drops to 3.5%
DES MOINES — Iowa’s unemployment rate fell to 3.5% in December, a state agency reported today. The rate was down from November’s 3.7% rate and…
Amid omicron and inflation, IMF cuts world growth forecasts
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund is downgrading its forecast for the world economy this year, citing the spread of COVID-19’s omicron variant, higher…
Walmart invests in indoor vertical farming startup Plenty
NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart said Tuesday it has taken a stake in agriculture startup Plenty, becoming the first large U.S. retailer to significantly invest…
Wisconsin lawmakers to sign off on new contracts for building trades
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin lawmakers were poised today to sign off on new contracts for state carpenters, bricklayers, electricians and plumbers. The deals between the…
American Express Q4 profits jump 20% on card spending
Credit card company American Express said today that its fourth-quarter profits rose 20% from a year earlier, as eager consumers spent record levels of money…
J&J tops 4Q earnings forecasts but misses on revenue
Johnson & Johnson edged past Wall Street’s fourth quarter earnings expectations, helped by growing pharmaceutical sales, but revenue fell short. The world’s biggest maker of…
German business confidence perks up after 6-month decline
BERLIN — Business confidence in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, has picked up unexpectedly after a six-month slide, a closely watched survey showed today. The Ifo…
Pfizer begins testing omicron-matched COVID shots in adults
Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the…