AP National Business

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Construction of new homes in the U.S. rose for the third consecutive month in December and data released Wednesday suggests that the frantic pace of building will continue this year. The December increase left home construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Investment bank Morgan Stanley says its fourth-quarter profits rose 9% from a year ago, helped by a big jump in fee revenue from its growing asset and wealth management business. The investment banking division also boosted results, as deal-making on Wall Street continued at a

By YURI KAGEYAMA AP Business Writer TOKYO (AP) — Stocks are recovering some of their losses Wednesday after hitting a low for the year a day earlier. The S&P 500 is up 0.6% in the first minutes of trading, while the Nasdaq Composite is up 0.8% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 0.3%.

By SYLVIA HUI Associated Press LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says face masks will no longer be mandatory in public places and COVID-19 passports will be dropped for large events as infections level off in most parts of the country. Johnson told lawmakers that the restrictions are being eased because government scientists

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s health minister has spoken in favor of making COVID-19 certificates mandatory for employees. The country is reporting a surge in coronavirus infections, including over 30,000 new cases in 24 hours. Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said that 20% of the cases reported on Wednesday involve the highly contagious omicron variant. He

DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling about 200,000 cars in the U.S. to fix a problem that can stop the brake lights from turning off. The recall covers certain 2014 and 2015 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ midsize cars as well as some 2015 Mustangs. All were sold or registered in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama,

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press GENEVA (AP) — New German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for a “paradigm shift” in the way the world approaches climate policy, saying his country would leverage its presidency of the Group of Seven industrial nations to push for standards to fight global warming. Discussions on energy use and ways

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The European Union is preparing to deduct millions of euros from payments to Poland in order to cover fines imposed on Warsaw for ignoring a court injunction to close down a open pit brown coal mine near the Czech border. The court says the mine drains groundwater from villages on the

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The New York attorney general’s office says its civil investigation has uncovered evidence that former President Donald Trump’s company used “fraudulent or misleading” asset valuations to get loans and tax benefits. In a court filing late Tuesday, Attorney General Letitia James’ office said evidence showed

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — Construction of new homes in the U.S. rose for the third consecutive month in December and data released Wednesday suggests that the frantic pace of building will continue this year. The December increase left home construction at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.70

By KEN SWEET AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America says its profits rose 28% last quarter from a year earlier, but the bank faced the same wage inflation as its Wall Street counterparts. The bank said Wednesday that it earned a profit of $7.01 billion, or 82 cents per share in

By JOSH BOAK Associated Press The Biden administration has announced the release of $14 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to fund 500 projects aimed at easing the supply chain problem. The spending stems largely from President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal. The projects include upgrades to improve shipping on the Ohio River,

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press AMSTERDAM (AP) — Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw orchestra has played second fiddle to a pair of hairdressers. Vincent van Gogh’s self-portraits have been briefly upstaged by a nail salon and barber as civil disobedience to protest the Dutch coronavirus lockdown spread to the cultural sector. The Netherlands has been in a tough

By THOMAS ADAMSON AP Fashion Writer PARIS (AP) — Some Paris Fashion Week menswear shows have began for the fall-winter season as French virus restrictions have relegated many others to an online-only presence. Those brands that chose to maintain physical shows like AMI on Wednesday seem to be benefiting from a relative boost in coverage.

By MATTHEW LEE AP Diplomatic Writer KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is urging western nations to remain unified in the face of what he calls “relentless” Russian aggression against Ukraine. During a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, Blinken told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the U.S. and its allies are steadfast

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Major international airlines have canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using. The moves Wednesday represented the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology. Carriers took widely different approaches to

By ALEX ROSENBERG of NerdWallet As of Jan. 1, most surprise medical bills are now banned as a result of the No Surprises Act. Surprise medical bills commonly arise when you can’t choose your provider, such as in an emergency or when you’re assigned an anesthesiologist or radiologist. Under the new rules, your insurer has

By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer UnitedHealth Group posted strong fourth-quarter earnings led by double-digit growth in its Optum division. The largest U.S. health insurance provider posted fourth-quarter net income Wednesday of $4.07 billion. Removing one-time benefits and charges, per-share earnings were $4.48, or 18 cents better than expected on Wall Street. Revenue, at $73.74

By MICHAEL CANTU Edmunds The chip and supply chain shortages of 2021 have been difficult for automakers and consumers alike. But something positive has emerged from the chaos for 2022: more new car introductions. Among other things, the shortage forced many brands to delay the release of all-new and redesigned vehicles that were originally scheduled

By JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press BUDPAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The leader of Hungary’s political opposition has announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 amid a surge in cases fueled by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Peter Marki-Zay is an independent conservative who will represent a six-party opposition coalition in the parliamentary election in April. He