AP National Business

By SUDHIN THANAWALA Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Food banks have ramped up their output during the coronavirus pandemic to meet an explosion of need from families facing financial hardship. Now, some are preparing to permanently boost their food distribution with major expansion projects driven in part by their experiences during the pandemic. Food banks

By DAVID McHUGH and JOSH BOAK Associated Press FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — OPEC and allied oil-producing countries have decided to stick with their plan for cautious monthly increases in oil production even as prices surge and the global economy is thirsty for fuel. The OPEC+ alliance, made up of OPEC members led by the Saudis

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writers Stocks edged higher in afternoon trading on Wall Street Thursday, potentially setting the market up to notch more record highs. The S&P 500 was up 0.3%. The benchmark index is coming off five straight gains and a succession of record closes. The Nasdaq gained 0.9%

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. economy rebounds from the ongoing pandemic, many women are choosing to sit out the labor force. The pandemic has laid bare the disproportionate burdens many women shoulder in caring for children or aging parents, as well as highlighted the

By FRANK JORDANS and SETH BORENSTEIN Associated Press GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — In the fight to curb climate change, several major coal-using nations have announced steps to wean themselves off of the heavily polluting fossil fuel. Though some will only do it slowly. The pledges to phase out coal come on top of other promises

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic’s central bank has again sharply increased its key interest rate by a point and a quarter to 2.75% to tackle soaring inflation amid the economy’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday’s surprising move was the biggest single hike of the rate since 1997. Analysts had mostly predicted a half-point

By MATT OTT AP Business Writer SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — The average long-term mortgage rate in the U.S. ticked back down this week following several weeks of increases. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate for a 30-year mortgage fell to 3.09% from 3.14% last week. Last year at this time

ROME (AP) — The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization says world food prices are the highest since July 2011, reflecting reduced wheat harvests and higher palm-oil prices. The Rome-based agency said Thursday that international prices of its sample food commodities basket rose by 3% in October, for a third straight month of increases. Reduced

GENEVA (AP) — A diamond bracelet that once belonged to France’s Marie Antoinette and jewels that dangled from a Russian grand duchess are among the featured items going up for auction next week in Geneva. Also going under the hammer in the lakeside Swiss city will be a pair of high-top Nike sneakers from the

By BARRY HATTON Associated Press LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal’s president is expected to announce whether he will follow through on his stated intention to call a snap election. He had said he would call an early ballot if the minority Socialist government was defeated in a vote on the country’s spending plans. That defeat

The Associated Press Stocks are opening modestly higher on Wall Street Thursday, potentially setting the market up to set more record highs. The S&P 500 was up 0.1% in the early going. The benchmark index is coming off five straight gains. Technology stocks were among the biggest winners, while banks and health care companies lagged

BERLIN (AP) — AstraZeneca says it is withdrawing its application for approval of its COVID-19 vaccine in Switzerland because the country’s medical regulator wanted to restrict its use to people over age 50. Switzerland has cleared the BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, but the national medical regulator hadn’t yet granted AstraZeneca marketing authorization.

By The Associated Press Millions of U.S. workers now have a Jan. 4 deadline to get a COVID vaccine. The federal government on Thursday announced new vaccine requirements for workers at companies with more than 100 employees as well as workers at health care facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients. It also extended a

GENEVA (AP) — A diamond bracelet that once belonged to France’s Marie Antoinette and jewels that dangled from a Russian grand duchess are among the featured items going up for auction next week in Geneva. Also going under the hammer in the lakeside Swiss city will be a pair of high-top Nike sneakers from the

By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to a fresh pandemic low last week, another sign the job market is healing after last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims dropped by 14,000 to 269,000 last week. Since topping 900,000 in early January, the weekly applications

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit hit an all-time high of $80.9 billion in September as American exports fell sharply while imports, even with supply chain problems at American ports, kept climbing. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the September deficit topped the previous record of $73.2 billion

By DAVID KOENIG Associated Press Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly. The new requirements are the Biden administration’s boldest move yet to persuade reluctant Americans to finally get a vaccine