AP National Business

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — China’s lockdowns of big cities to fight coronavirus outbreaks are prompting concerns about more disruptions for the economy after two makers of processor chips said their factories were affected. That adds to unease over the omicron variant’s global economic impact. Analysts warn Vietnam, Thailand and other

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — World markets have turned lower, tracking a retreat on Wall Street led by declines in big technology stocks. Shares fell in Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and Shanghai but rose in Hong Kong. U.S. futures also slipped. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets are mixed after more declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. Tokyo and Taiwan declined but other regional markets advanced. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day before shedding 0.1%. Weakness

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party has acknowledged that the country bought advanced spyware from the Israeli surveillance software maker NSO Group. But Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski denied the Pegasus software was being used to target his political opponents. Kaczynski said the secret

By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press TOKYO (AP) — Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has returned from space with hopes of new celestial investments. But he wants to first recover, as returning to life with gravity has proved heavier than he’d expected. Maezawa blasted off in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft along with a Russian cosmonaut on Dec.

By BRIAN MELLEY Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — A surge in coronavirus cases has shut down California schools and sidelined thousands of police, firefighters and health care workers. But officials hope it will be short-lived. Los Angeles County’s public health director said Thursday that she hopes the surge will start easing in February. Barbara

By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer BANGKOK (AP) — Asian markets are mostly higher after more declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. Tokyo and Taiwan declined but other regional markets advanced. On Thursday, the S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day before shedding 0.1%.

By MARK SHERMAN and JESSICA GRESKO Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments on two major Biden administration work rules to bump up the nation’s vaccination rate against COVID-19 at a time of spiking cases because of the omicron variant. The justices on the conservative-oriented court are hearing arguments Friday about

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation is surging and new omicron infections are spiking, but America’s employers are thought to have kept right on hiring in December on the strength of solid consumer spending. One reason for the optimism about the jobs data the government will issue Friday is that it

By HAVEN DALEY Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Colo. (AP) — Colorado authorities say last week’s wildfire caused $513 million in damage and destroyed 1,084 homes and structures. It’s the first estimate of economic damage for the Dec. 30 blaze, the most destructive wildfire in state history. Boulder County released the new totals Thursday after further assessing

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A filing with state officials says the company that runs QVC is shutting down a North Carolina distribution center heavily damaged by a fire, putting nearly 2,000 people out of work. News outlets report that on Dec. 29, Qurate Retail Group filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining and Notification notice with

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A 44-year-old man from China admitted in court that he stole a trade secret from Monsanto while he worked in Missouri. Federal prosecutors say Haitao Xiang, formerly of Chesterfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Missouri to conspiracy to commit economic espionage. Federal prosecutors say Xiang transferred a trade

By DAVID KOENIG AP Business Writer Soon, Airbnb hosts in Oregon will only see the initials of some prospective renters, not their full names. It’s a move designed to prevent hosts from discriminating against people who they think might be Black based on their name. The initials-only policy takes effect Jan. 31 and will last

By CALEB JONES Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — The Monsanto company pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally using and storing agricultural chemicals in Hawaii, and will pay $12 million in fines. Monsanto was charged with 30 environmental crimes after allowing workers to go into corn fields on Oahu in 2020 after a product named Forfeit 280

By TALI ARBEL and JOE REEDY Associated Press The New York Times Co. is buying sports news site The Athletic for $550 million. It’s the Times’ latest move in its strategy to expand its audience of paying subscribers as the newspaper print ads business fades. The Times gained millions of subscribers during the Trump presidency

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government has requested a dispute resolution panel under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, because it claims the United States is improperly interpreting stricter regional content rules under the pact. The agreement, known as the USMCA, raised requirements for regional content to 75% of a vehicle’s value or components. Under

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Thursday: Conagra, Humana fall; Stitch Fix, Lamb Weston rise.

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers More declines in big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street, driving the market further into the red on the first week of the year. The S&P 500 wobbled between gains and losses for much of the day Thursday before closing down 0.1%.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A filing with state officials says the company that runs QVC is shutting down a North Carolina distribution center heavily damaged by a fire, putting nearly 2,000 people out of work. News outlets report that on Dec. 29, Qurate Retail Group filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining and Notification notice with

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $34 million settlement of a class-action lawsuit against a chemical company over contamination of groundwater and soil in a southern Vermont community. The Bennington Banner reported this week that attorneys for the plaintiffs say notices are going out to hundreds of potential