Finance

Target’s rare miss in holiday sales raises concerns about the challenges ahead for the retail industry By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO and MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writers January 15, 2020, 6:06 PM 5 min read Target reported a rare shortfall in holiday sales, raising concerns about the challenges ahead for the traditional retail industry even as the […]

California is considering raising taxes on some of the country’s largest companies By ADAM BEAM Associated Press January 16, 2020, 1:33 AM 5 min read SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California is considering raising taxes on some of the country’s largest companies, but the size of the tax increase would depend on how much its highest-paid executive

WASHINGTON — President Trump wanted to strike down a law that prohibits companies from bribing foreign officials, calling the ban “so unfair” to American companies, two Washington Post reporters recount in a new book. In the spring of 2017, Mr. Trump was at a briefing with Rex W. Tillerson, then the secretary of state, and

Officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan say they have reached a preliminary agreement that should help clear the way for the filling and operation of a $5 billion dam project on the Nile River By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer January 15, 2020, 11:25 PM 2 min read WASHINGTON — Officials from Egypt, Ethiopia and

It would be reasonable to look at the new trade agreement between the United States and China and say: All that … for this? The temporary resolution was bound to underwhelm after two years of rapidly escalating bluster and tariffs; a world of pain for American farmers and companies reliant on imports from China; and

Stocks that moved heavily or traded substantially on Wednesday: UnitedHealth, BlackRock rise; Target, Nektar fall January 15, 2020, 9:17 PM 1 min read NEW YORK — Stocks that moved heavily or traded substantially on Wednesday. UnitedHealth Group Inc., up $8.17 at $296.41. The nation’s largest health insurer reported surprisingly good fourth-quarter profits. Target Corp., down

Those terms appear likely to benefit American companies and increase exports in coming months, potentially narrowing the trade deficit with China, which has become a focal point for Mr. Trump. The president trumpeted many of China’s concessions during the signing ceremony, singling out audience members who will benefit from the trade deal. He called out

A county in Northern California wine country is exploring plans to sue a utility over a massive wildfire last fall January 15, 2020, 7:26 PM 3 min read SONOMA, Calif. — A county in Northern California wine country is exploring plans to sue a utility over a massive wildfire last fall that caused losses of

WASHINGTON — President Trump signed an initial trade deal with China on Wednesday, bringing the first chapter of a protracted and economically damaging fight with the world’s second-largest economy to a close. The pact is intended to open Chinese markets to more American companies, increase farm and energy exports, and provide greater protection for American

SAN FRANCISCO — When is a photograph of nude bodies artistic or titillating? A woman’s exposed nipple a political statement or erotica? A video of childbirth might show genitalia. Should what someone considers a celebration of life be censored? In 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart declined to define what constitutes obscenity but famously