AP National Business

By JOE McDONALD AP Business Writer BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street hit a high and new daily U.S. coronavirus cases surged to a record. Tokyo and Seoul declined while Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced. Wall Street gained for its 70th record high of 2021. Optimism was tempered by data

By COLLEEN SLEVIN and THOMAS PEIPERT Associated Press DENVER (AP) — A man accused of killing five people in a rampage in Denver is believed to have written fictional books self-published online that named some of his real-life victims and described similar attacks. Denver police spokesman Doug Schepman says the writings are part of the

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — The jury weighing fraud charges against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes departed court Wednesday without reaching a verdict after six days of deliberations. It won’t resume discussions until after the upcoming New Year’s holiday weekend. The eight men and four women on the jury

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Officials at the Publix grocery store chain says that they will start offering paid parental leave to employees who are new parents. The Florida-based company said Wednesday that eligible full-time and part-time workers will be able to take off the time during the first year of the birth or adoption of

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada casinos set a record in November, reporting a ninth straight month of $1 billion or more in house winnings. A Nevada Gaming Control Board report on Wednesday showed the nation’s tourist-dependent gambling mecca has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The nine-month streak beat the previous record

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. government has approved California’s overhaul of the nation’s largest insurance program for low-income and disabled residents. The decision among other things allows Medicaid money to be spent on housing-related services as the most populous state struggles with homelessness and a lack of affordable housing.

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Wall Street ended another wobbly day mostly higher Wednesday, enough for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average to notch record highs. The benchmark index edged up 0.1%, the Dow rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.1%. Retailers and companies reliant on consumer spending were among the better

Stocks that traded heavily or had substantial price changes Wednesday: Victoria’s Secret, Darling Ingredients rise; FuelCell falls

By KEN RITTER Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas isn’t canceling or scaling back plans for big New Year’s gatherings amid concerns about the rapid spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19. Regional public safety and elected leaders said Wednesday they expect more than 300,000 visitors in town for events including a New

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Wall Street ended another wobbly day mostly higher, enough for the S&P 500 to notch another record high. The benchmark index edged up 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.2% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.1%. Retailers and companies reliant on consumer spending were among the better performers coming

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities say a Los Angeles business manager whose clients had included Nicki Minaj and the Kardashians has been killed, and her boyfriend has been charged with murder and torture. Police say they found 55-year-old Angela Kukawski dead in her car on Dec. 23. Authorities say her 49-year-old boyfriend, Jason Barker, was

By JAKE BLEIBERG Associated Press DALLAS (AP) — William Alvin Moncrief Jr., a Texas wildcatter who helped build a father-son venture into an oil and gas empire over more than 70 years in the industry, has died. He was 101. A spokeswoman for Moncrief Oil confirmed his death to The Associated Press Wednesday but could

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer Stocks edged mostly higher on Wall Street in afternoon trading Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 within striking distance of another all-time high. The benchmark index was up 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.3% and the Nasdaq slipped 0.1%. All three indexes started the day slightly in

By GEIR MOULSON Associated Press BERLIN (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization says he’s worried about the omicron and delta variants of COVID-19 producing a “tsunami” of cases between them. Top officials with the U.N. health agency cautioned Wednesday that it’s still too early to be reassured by initial data suggesting that

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin says that a new pipeline to Germany has been fully filled with natural gas. Putin noted that it could help quickly reduce soaring European energy prices. The $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline is currently awaiting approval from Germany and the European Union.

The Associated Press Stocks were losing momentum in Wednesday afternoon, putting the S&P 500 barely below the record high it set on Monday. The S&P 500 was down less than 0.1%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2% and the Nasdaq fell 0. 4%. All three indexes started the day slightly in the green.

By COLLEEN SLEVIN Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Four of the people shot in deadly rampage in Denver were attacked at tattoo shops, raising questions about why they were targeted. Police say 47-year-old Lyndon James McLeod knew most of the people he shot Monday at several locations around the metro area, through either business or